Tomorrow Never Yesterday
by lankree
Summary: A Titans story focusing on the consequences of love, betrayal, redemption, identity and false prophecies.
1. Birthday Girl

**Author's Notes**

To begin:

No Titans East – After the events of "Bunny Raven", the timeline jumps into Season Four. Speedy, Bumble Bee and Aqualad join the Titans after "The Prophecy".

Terra's name is Terra Nostra.

Robin is an original character/Dick Grayson fusion

In aftershock part two, Raven doesn't say that they'll be searching for a way to reverse the affect, Cyborg does.

This story takes place before The End and Stranded

Images of my OC's are posted on the photobucket website under the account Lankree.

_Italics denote thought._

Chapter One: Birthday Girl

He stood mesmerized by the swirling scarves, the blues and pinks and reds danced along the wind in some ancient beautiful song.

_Robin… Robin…_

The small boy watched the colors flow and weave in the wind; his feet warm in the soft brown soil he found as a second home. He watched the bright birds fly as his toes and heels sunk deeper into the welcoming, fertile earth of the Western China country side; his love, his home.

"Robin… Robin!"

Robin blinked suddenly, his masked eyes focused sharply. He realized he was still in the antique shop. The Asian artistry had dazzled him, reminded him of something he was no longer really sure of. The Boy Wonder sighed deeply, turning to his companion. From her sweet face, he realized he must have been standing still for a very long time.

"What is it Raven?"

"You seemed distracted. If we're going to make it back in time to help, we should go."

Robin nodded. Raven smiled gently before taking her find to the register. Robin had noticed she smiled more and more as the days past. He knew it had something to do with Slade and her birthday, but true to her word, she couldn't bear to tell him what that something was. That day had changed her; Robin had noticed that though she mediated more she seemed to do it in the company of others. Her emotions didn't spark as often: in anger at Beast Boy, or in joy, not that they had seen that happen often. It seemed to Robin and the other Titans that Raven's power was growing and her control was tightening to master every little change.

But there were times when her control slipped. Sometimes after a long meditation, Raven's hair would grow down her back. Sometimes her cloak or eyes would flash red briefly. She'd flee hoping no one had noticed. Beast Boy had caught her once and so had Cyborg. It seemed every time that Robin would see and, if only for a second, their eyes would meet and Robin could see both fear and relief. He still didn't know what to make of it, but the small moments of uncertainty were always worth those brief moments when Raven smiled.

Robin turned back to the scarves that swayed gently with the slow rotations of the ceiling fan. Maybe he would come back and buy one… but then with all the sweet memories there were bitter ones tied up.

_I've wasted so much time… please don't think I have forgotten… I couldn't ever…_

The scarves continued to whip and flex after Robin and Raven left the store, oblivious to what their colors awakened in the Boy Wonder.

…

Cyborg wasn't exactly positive how he knew, but he was pretty sure someone was talking about him.¹ He had felt a chill run up his spine but couldn't place the source. He had run hot before but never cold. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to hang the decorations. Today was Starfire's 32 Blaxrig or her Flochort, which Cyborg roughly translated as her sweet sixteen. It had only been two weeks since Raven's birthday and his own was only four days away. With the exception of Beast Boy, they were all what his mother would call "summer babies".

_Though hardly babies in anyone's eyes anymore_. Cyborg thought as he hung the last banner over the doorway. He himself was going to be twenty, and no longer a teen Titan. He really needed to talk to Robin about changing their name. Aqualad was well past nineteen and he had a sneaking suspicion that Speedy was too. They couldn't continue fighting crime with such a misleading handle could they?

Cyborg forgot those thoughts when the ding of the timer went off.

"Cyborg! Your cake's done! Better get to it before Beast Boy does!" Aqualad called as he continued to move chairs.

"Hey!" Beast Boy squawked. "I do have some self-control!"

Aqualad smirked. "Not that I've seen exercised."

The full out war that would have ensued was prematurely ended by a baritone "BOOYAH" that shook the floor beneath the two of them. Cyborg entered their field of vision holding a towering cake in one hand and a proud, crooked chef's hat on his head. The background seemed to scream with a triumphant blue as Aqualad and Beast Boy's jaws dropped in stupefaction.

"It's beautiful." The two whispered in unison.

"Isn't it? Keep your hands off, Star gets the first piece."

Aqualad and Beast Boy's heads sagged and the two marched off to finish moving the chairs.

"Excellent. This baby should be cooled by the time Speedy brings Star back². Now where are Rae and Robin?"

Just then the door to the common room slid open and Raven came in bearing gifts.

"Great, you got all the gifts!" Cyborg called.

"Sorry, Robin got a little distracted at the mall."

"Oh, so where is the Boy Wonder?" Beast Boy asked.

_Huh?_ Raven turned to the side and realized for the first time Robin wasn't walking beside her. She wiped the shocked look off her face before levitating the gifts to the table. "He must have stopped off when we passed his room. He's been… not exactly himself today. I'll go get him; Speedy should be bringing Starfire back in a few minutes."

"Hey Raven! Before you do that could you help us finish moving these chairs?"

"Sure."

Maybe had she left, denying Aqualad's request, she would have better understood what was bothering the Titans' leader. Robin lay on his back on the floor beside his bed watching the overhead ceiling fan spin, just like he had seen in the store. A gloved hand draped over his masked eyes, fingers spread just wide enough for him to see. He felt like he did as a small child, lying on the ground by himself as the world busied itself without him. Before, the world went on; ignoring him because he was small, now it was because he was being selfish. They had a party to plan and he knew that he should help before Starfire came back to the tower. But instead of helping his was lying on his back, eyes closed trying to feel that sandy wind against his face…

_My life… had so much more color then… _Robin would only decide later if it was solid hissing of his door opening or his EGO telling him that his pity party was over that rose him from the floor. Raven stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding a letter extended to him.

"You should hurry Boy Blunder. Speedy just gave us the warning. They're only five minutes away."

"Yeah. Right. Sorry. I'm a little…"

"Out of it?" Raven supplied.

"Of sorts. Sorry for not helping as much as I should." Robin dusted his legs, though there was no dust to be found in his nearly immaculate quarters.

"The only thing you could have done was pin Beast Boy to the carpet so he'd leave the cake alone… but I'm sure Aqualad wouldn't have given up the privilege."

Robin laughed, though both of them knew it wasn't really funny. They both knew something was wrong; the bond that had been building between each other was growing. Sometimes they talked to each other in their minds and neither would realize it until they thought about it afterwards. Twice Raven had woken up startled from a bad dream Robin had had and slept on Robin's floor to make sure Robin slept peacefully for the rest of the night. Four times Robin finished the sentence Raven hadn't started and exactly three times when Robin's hand hit Raven's a brief flash of Raven's worries blinked in front of Robin like a movie in a terrible slow motion… black and white and no volume.

It was terribly beautiful thing they shared, but it still allowed them to keep secrets from each other; what she remembered, what he feared, what had kept him awake for the last six days. When Robin looked at Raven, when her face was relaxed, long hair brushing her shoulders, he wondered how much she knew and how much he could bear to tell her.

"We should go." Raven stated.

"What's that?"

"I'm sorry?"

"In your hand. What is it?"

"Oh. This came for you. It was the only mail today. Other than Cyborg's "Popular Mechanics" and Beast Boy's "ZooLife"." Raven sighed thinking about the last thing she had said.

Robin took the letter and noticed the characters under his name. The writing was painfully familiar. _From Gotham City._

_I didn't know you read Japanese_. Raven thought with Raven's equivalent of whimsy.

_Yeah, I learned as a small child… I rarely use it though…_

"Robin! Raven! Hurry! They're here!" Beast Boy's frantic voice squealed. Raven looked to Robin then exited his room. Robin placed the letter gently on his desk then followed behind the cloaked sorceress. The two ran silently into the common room and stood out of sight. They all stood silently and waited, growing anxious as Starfire's voice became clearer and clearer.

"Thank you again friend Speedy. I have never been to a zoo of petting before! The small animals were most enjoyable!" Starfire squealed as she flew into the common room.

Speedy smiled and crossed his wrists behind his back.

"Surprise!" The Titans yelled in unison. Starfire's smile widened to take over her pretty face. She clapped her hands in joy.

"Oh friends! Joyous day! You have thrown a party to celebrate the anniversary of my birth!"

"Happy Birthday Starfire!" Starfire placed her feet on the ground and from behind her Speedy dropped a tiara on her head. The Tameranian had never looked so happy. Robin stood beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Happy Sweet Sixteen Star." He said before leading her to the table where Cyborg was, with one hand presenting the cake and the other holding Beast Boy back. Starfire clapped her hands together, enjoying her friends' presence.

"Alright Star, you remember what I told you about blowing out candles right?" Cyborg asked as he slid the lit cake towards the bubbly alien. Star nodded enthusiastically. She inhaled deeply and everyone took cover. A gentle blow escaped the birthday girl and the team crashed to the ground in bewilderment. Starfire's confusion rested clearly on her face.

"Have I misunderstood?"

Raven was the first to recover. "Starfire, don't ever change."

The party continued well into the evening. After flat out refusing to participate in Beast Boy's suggestion of spin the bottle, Speedy turned on the radio to allow them to dance. Raven took her seat next to Cyborg and the two watched Robin and Star twirl around them like some beautiful music box and Bumble Bee did her best not to die from embarrassment, standing as close as she was to Beast Boy as he showed off his "moves". When Speedy decided to rescue the too nice Bumble Bee, Beast Boy pouted for a moment then plopped down beside Cyborg. Raven handed him another slice of cake and smiled when Beast Boy's pout erased itself in favor of cake.

A Tameranian giggle returned Raven's attention to the four dancers. They looked like something out of a romance movie, discounting the height difference. Raven tapped her fork gently on her plate, watching Starfire hug Robin as he spun her around by the waist. She swore she had seen the moment before, a million times before, in Robin's dreams. A large hand brushed her hair behind her ear, turning her head to meet his. Cyborg held out his hand for her.

"Dance with me."

"I don't know how."

"I've never known that to stop Beast Boy." Cyborg stated.

"That's because Beast Boy is shameless." Raven replied.

Over a slice of cake Raven couldn't be sure if Beast Boy had mumbled "so not cool" or "eat tofu", probably the former, but knowing Beast Boy it was just as likely to be the latter. She took Cyborg's hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.

The two watched the handsome Aqualad, every inch the ladies' man, cut in gently between Robin and Star, sending Robin right into Raven.

"Tired out already Boy Wonder?" Raven asked.

"Not hardly." He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the center of the room a few feet away from Star and Aqualad and barely avoided colliding with Cyborg as he cut in to dance with Bumble Bee. True to her word, Raven couldn't dance. But for all his gracefulness as an acrobat, Raven was relieved to find that the Titans' leader had two left feet on the dance floor.

Beast Boy nearly choked on his fork when the alarm blared behind his ear. Starfire turned a distressed eye to the communications monitor. There was trouble… and it was in the tower.

End of Part One.

Author's note:

1 Remember this, Cyborg's paranoia will help chapter two and three make a lot more sense.

2 Fear not! This is not a Star/Speedy fic. I'm going to announce the pairings as I develop their relationships. No one ends up lonely in this fic, though hearts are broken and mended in the chapters to follow.


	2. Absolute Genius Part One

Chapter Two: Absolute Genius

Part One

"Someone's infiltrated the Tower!" Cyborg informed them as his fingers flew across the keys. "From the scanners it looks like…"

Before Cyborg could finish his sentence an explosion rocked the room. The emergency sprinklers went off, spraying the Titans. Raven was not pleased.

"Can't we have just one birthday party without a building being blown up?"

Before Raven could strangle Beast Boy, the lights flickered off and on then finally off. Cyborg gritted and gave one last look to the monitor before it too failed. "It's the HIVE, Jinx, Muscle Head and the half pint. They're messing with our networking system."

"And anything else they can get their hands on. Let's get these party crashers out of our tower. We're not going to let them ruin Star's day. Titans Go!"

Raven fazed through the floor, crossing level by level trying to pick up the sight of whatever criminal was stupid enough to invade her home. It would be the stampeding green rhino that alerted her to the presence of someone. When the charging stopped and after recognizing the undeniable sound of heavy feet running in place Raven knew just who he was up against. Mammoth… and where Mammoth was, Jinx was bound to be close.

A solid boot connected with Robin's chest as Jinx continued her assault on Robin and Speedy. It seemed the acrobatic hex-weaver was too graceful in her movements to be pinned down by Speedy's arrows and could keep Robin far away enough that they would probably never learn whom was the better martial artist. Jinx hurled a purple energy blast, knocking dust at the masked pair. Robin drew his bo-staff but never got to use it as Jinx's thunderous punch was interrupted by a drop kick from Raven. Jinx recovered quickly and charged back into the fight with a grin.

"I was wondering when the fun would begin. Raven, it's going to be a pleasure ripping you apart!" Jinx threw a hex, which Raven reflected. Jinx's grin intensified, _This is going to be too easy…_ Jinx took advantage of Raven's slow recover and hurled another energy bolt, knocking Raven's legs from under her. Speedy quickly unleashed several gold arrows, some bouncing off the walls and missing Jinx as she continued her running approach on Raven. Speedy's ricocheting "knock-out" arrow¹ slammed ruthlessly into Jinx's back, knocking her off balance. Robin grabbed one of Jinx's flailing limbs and spun her in a half circle, throwing her into the air, destined to strike the corridor wall. Instead of a solid thud, Jinx fazed right through it. Speedy looked to Robin as he helped Raven up.

"Could she always do that?" Speedy asked.

"Jinx has new tricks… that probably means the others do too." Robin deduced.

"I haven't seen Gizmo yet, but Beast Boy and Bumble Bee are fighting Mammoth a floor above us. I'll find Jinx." Raven stated. Without another word she fazed through the wall that Jinx had moments before.

It was Starfire and Aqualad that found Gizmo hacking into the central computers in Cyborg's control room. Starfire's hands and eyes fluoresced with her righteous fury.

"I request that you desist in whatever criminal actions you are attempting. Please come quietly."

"Snot chewing Crud sniffer!² I'll come quietly… you won't here a sound from me!"

Aqualad charged the half pint criminal who slid smoothly under the punch. Aqualad bumped into the control panel and realized what Gizmo had done.

"Hey! You twerp! You hacked into our computers! He's erasing our files!"

Gizmo's laugh was swallowed in a blaring siren erupting behind Aqualad's head. Aqualad and Starfire collapsed to the floor clutching their ears.

"This Flochort is not turning out as I had hoped!" Starfire shot her eye beams, toppling Gizmo. It would be Cyborg who entered the room a few moments later, trampling Gizmo to turn off the horrible siren. Aqualad climbed to his feet and shook the ringing from his head.

"Oh man, are these guys always this annoying?" Aqualad asked.

"Yes. But this time they look like they've got a new objective." Cyborg's fingers slid along the keys successfully terminating the system deletion.

"This time they do not seem to want to defeat us…" Starfire began.

"They're trying to erase us." Cyborg finished. Another explosion rocked the tower. Cyborg then noticed that Gizmo was no longer laid out on the floor. "The HIVE is trying to topple the tower. Those explosions are bombs going off. That was the third one so far." Cyborg punched his communicator. "Cyborg to Robin and Raven! The HIVE is planting bombs all over the Tower, I think Mammoth is a distraction. Keep your eyes open for Jinx and Gizmo!"

"Gotcha Cyborg!" Robin replied. Finding Gizmo and Jinx were his top priority but ignoring Mammoth was much harder a task than Cyborg could have guessed. Robin ducked under the body of Speedy as the other masked hero soared down the corridor. He couldn't avoid Bumble Bee and the two rolled down the hall joining Speedy. Mammoth roared and grabbed Beast Boy by the shoulders.

"Let me go!" Beast Boy morphed into a T-Rex and freed himself from Mammoth's grasp. This time Mammoth didn't flee at the sight of the T-Rex. He drew his fist back and delivered a punch that hurled the green changeling out the window and into the surrounding night.

"Beast Boy!" Bumble Bee called out before taking flight to rescue him. She didn't make it to the window. Mammoth grabbed her securely pinning her arms to her sides.

"You'd better worry about yourself." Mammoth sneered.

Bumble Bee's call was what turned Raven's head towards her room. She watched for a moment as Beast Boy's image fell back towards the earth but was stopped from her rescue when she heard a gasp from her room. The door slid open and Jinx exited, to be greeted with a straight jab to the face. The stunned Jinx was helpless as Raven grabbed her arm and tossed her over her shoulder in a Judo throw. Jinx's stun didn't seem to affect her reflexes, in midair she turned so her feet were planted on the wall. She looked up and down Raven as if looking for something she hadn't noticed before.

"You were in my room… nobody goes in my room."³

Jinx's pretty face registered surprise for a moment before being conquered with cool hate. "Yours? I should have figured; even aliens don't have such bad taste." Jinx's retaliation was quick, burying a flipping heel into Raven's shoulder before Raven unleashed an energy claw, dark and as terrible as the night, which clutched Jinx swiftly with every intention of hurling her into the wall. Jinx's eyes gained their feral pink as she fazed through Raven's dark energy. Raven's eyes glowed to match and the two drew their arms back to start an all out war.

As Raven prepared to purge another blast, Jinx turned to her. "Why do you have an Azar Mirror?"

"What? How do you know about---" Raven's question was interrupted by a high, annoying voice.

"Hey sludge brain! Think fast… if you can!"

A jagged black sphere bounced from a quick throw, landing a few feet from where Raven was standing. Jinx smirked and tumbled out of danger, knowing Raven's plan as her pale grey hands were engulfed in back.

Raven's eyebrow ticked. _You think you know me so well…_

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A bubble wrapped itself around the bomb; Raven levitated it smoothly before turning an eye to the two HIVE members. They had expected her to protect herself and let the bomb go off damaging the tower like they had planned. _I don't think so_. Raven hurled the ticking grenade back at the pair, enjoying the horrified look on Gizmo's face. The small and painfully annoying HIVE graduate cowered behind Jinx's leg as the pink-haired hex-weaver steadied her feet. Her arms waved elegantly in a curse that Raven didn't recognize. The bomb bounced off an invisible shield and returned to Raven as quickly as it had left. Something Jinx had done altered the barrier, warping it, wrapping itself around Raven's body, tapping her against the bomb.

The explosion hurled Raven down the hall and crashing through a window. Her wail echoed into the night air as she plummeted towards the ground. Beast Boy's quick thinking allowed his Beast Within to catch the unconscious sorceress. The green beast turned his eye to the window to see where Raven had fallen from; he watched Cyborg leap into the window where Beast Boy was sure Cyborg caught who ever had hurt Raven by surprise.

He was right. Jinx could barely spin herself out of danger as the blue energy beam tore down the corridor, knocking a cursing Gizmo down the hall. Cyborg continued his charge with his cannon trained on Gizmo. As he passes Jinx he calls back to her "Stay where you are! I'll be back for you later!"

Jinx smirked. "You may be cute, but you're not the boss of me." She waved her arms in another spell and vanished through the floor.

It would be a tackle from Starfire, knocking Jinx down; a Bee Sting from Bumble Bee, overloading Gizmo's system; and a tag team knock out from Robin and Speedy, laying out Mammoth that ended the HIVE strike. After turning the teen anti-heroes over to the authorities, the group assessed the damage.

Every floor was wrecked in someway, whether from Gizmo's bombs or the fighting to bring the HIVE down.

"Man, these guys weren't playing. You said they were tough… you didn't say they were **this** tough." Aqualad said as he cleared some of the wreckage in the common room.

"They aren't. Or at least they weren't. These guys are different, they're better." Cyborg replied as he continued his diagnostic scan.

"I guess we shouldn't have expected them to sit around and not improving when they weren't fighting us… We… I put them too far in the back of my mind." Robin stated, if it weren't so unlike the leader of the Titans, it might have seemed, from the look on his face, that he was unsure of himself.

Just then, Speedy and Beast Boy returned to the common room.

"It's a big mess; we'll be cleaning for days. Not only did they damage the tower, they ruined Star's party." Beast Boy stated.

"I'm sure she isn't even thinking about **that** now. Starfire's a smart girl. Fixing the tower takes priority."

"How is Raven?" Bumble Bee asked, turning her hips to face the new comers.

"That last explosion did a number on her. Star's keeping a cool towel on her head. Outside of the fever, Raven has been able to heal herself. She'll be weak as a kitten for the next couple of days." Speedy replied, planting himself on the steps, his chin palmed in one hand.

"She'll have to relax on duty the next few days, though word will spread about the partial success of the attack on the tower. The rest of us will have to keep on our toes." Aqualad supplied, dumping the last of the wreckage in the trash pile.

"I've already made the repairs that needed to be done immediately. The system repairs will take a little longer, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it with enough time."

"Alright Cyborg, team we know the plan. Let's get some rest so we can start fixing the damage first thing in the morning." Robin said, not registering who made groans or sighs of agreement and who stayed silent. It didn't matter: he was tired, he was worried and he was irritated. He hadn't decided what combinations were results of the time of day, or from the attack or from the fact that Raven was hurt. His head tightened and a tired sob wracked his body. The Titans' leader exited the common room without another word. He walked down the hall, down a flight of stairs and to the first door on his left. The door slid only halfway open at his touch. Robin inhaled deeply, giving him the will to force the door open the rest of the way instead of collapsing to the floor with a scream like he wanted to. He just felt so tired all of the sudden, heavier now in his room than he had been just minutes ago with his team.

Robin remembered only by luck that he had received a letter that day. He was relieved to find the letter was unscathed after today's events. He grabbed it, holding it in his teeth as he removed his gloves. It rested by his side as he stretched to pull off his boots. Finally comfortable, the Boy Wonder laid back and removed his mask from his tired face. He slipped the letter from the envelope:

貴重なロビン、それはそれらが互いの前に再度立つ私達のための呼出しであるので私達にずっと最後の話されているがあるが、時であるので非常に長い時間。私 はこの手紙を受け取っているあなたの幾日の内に、やがて着く。私は、その時まで会うことを、注意する非常に、風再度変わっている楽しみにしている。_⁴_

Robin sat up with a start. Now how was he supposed to sleep?

…

Speedy saw Bumble Bee off that night as he and Aqualad returned to their rooms. He hadn't noticed before, but his room had been a victim to one of the blasts. He sighed, considering sleeping on the floor of Aqualad's room but then remembered the awful noise the waterbed made no matter how still Aqualad slept. He took a look at the caved in door before snapping his fingers and heading back to the common room to sleep on the couch.

The next morning when an incoming transmission was received, it was only Speedy's inborn sense of shame that preventing him from screaming like a girl. Speedy groggily pulled himself from the couch and hit the accept communications key. His face turned three shades of red when he saw Cyborg's butt in the camera view.

"Cyborg! Your sense of humor is severely off base man!"

Cyborg registered Speedy's voice and turned to the source. "Whoa man! The wiring is still a bit messed up. I'm trying to reconfigure the motherboards to…"

"Yeah, whatever! Keep your techno-mumbo-jumbo to yourself! Let the rest of us sleep. Couldn't this wait until a reasonable hour?"

"Speedy, It's two o'clock in the afternoon." Speedy sweat dropped. He switched off the screen, shook his head and went to work.

For the next four days, the tower was under construction. The damage was extensive and repairing it all would take more time and more hands than the Titans had. With Raven injured and bedridden and one Titan monitoring her, the Titans were not at full strength. Cyborg forgot his birthday and never got around to talking to Robin about changing the Titans' handle. It didn't seem important.

Robin entered the medical wing and watched for a moment as Starfire changed the cloth on Raven's head. The pale girl's eyes were open, but weak. She noticed Robin before Starfire, the sweet alien had been running on autopilot since her Flochort had been ruined. Robin placing a hand on her shoulder barely registered with her.

"Hey Star, Aqualad and Speedy could use your help moving and securing some wall pieces on the third level. I'll take over from here."

Starfire nodded and floated ghostly out the door. Robin watched her go sadly, he wished he knew what to say to her, to convince her that things would be the same; back to their daily routines, instead of shaking in the memory of what happened less than a week ago. Robin sat down in the chair beside Raven's bed. His gloved fingers spread the cloth on Raven's forehead and winced as he watched a little of the water run into her hair. He hadn't noticed before, but it was long again.

_Come on Robin… for your team… pull it together…_ A sharp warmth filled him as thoughts foreign to his mind spoke to him.

_It's only natural to feel unease Robin… do not burden yourself anymore… you're strong enough for the both of us._

Robin said nothing for a moment. "We looked over your room briefly. There wasn't any damage done to the interior, when you're feeling better you can move back in. Speedy will be staying in either Beast Boy or Cyborg for a little while longer; his room was the only bedroom that took any real damage. A lot of the guest quarters are in shambles, nothing that can't be fixed."

_There are few material things that, once broken, can not be fixed. It's the more delicate things that we need to be concerned with._

"Star" Robin whispered.

_Yes._

Robin rolled his shoulders, loosening the tension in his back. He just had this crippling suspicion that things were going to change in the near future, delicate things were going to shatter, beautiful things would be borne and the Titans' place in the center of tragedy and joy would increase in magnitude.

…

Beast Boy continued his task without so much as a water break. He had to concentrate; he needed to do his part. The other Titans had left Beast Boy to finish clearing the entrance; a task that Beast Boy knew would take him the rest of the day. But when this was done, most of the damage would be cleared.

"I only wish I could erase all of it. How could they do this to our home?" Beast Boy doubled over and hefted another load of dry wall onto his shoulder. As he turned to toss it in the trash container, the huge threshold marking the entrance to Titans' Tower suddenly became filled with light. Someone was coming in…

End of Part One

A/N:

¹The "knock out" arrow is the one that has the boxer's glove on it.

²I hate Gizmo so much. I didn't want to type that sentence, but I couldn't have him not talk. Sigh

³I was both saddened and happy with Raven's role in "Final Exam". I didn't like that Raven really didn't do anything in the episode, but after watching the episode again yesterday I realized that I appreciated it because I realized that Raven's abilities were growing as the series progressed.

⁴Yeah, that's Japanese. Don't bother trying to translate it, it won't make sense. I'll translate it in chapter three when it will make another appearance.


	3. Absolute Genius Part Two

Absolute Genius

Part Two

Beast Boy was positive he had never seen anything so beautiful in his whole life. She was ample, slender, statuesque… and she was gorgeous. He forgot who he was, why he was standing where he was and why there was an extra twenty pounds holding down his frame. He stared at her, noticed her eyes, even though they didn't notice him. Her long, dark red hair swayed gently with the slight tightening of her fingers around a strap clutching tightly across her chest. She was tall, easily six feet even without her high-heeled, light-grey boots.

Beast Boy could tell from his position, roughly ten feet away, that her light brown skin was flawless and if she would have smiled at that moment he would have died. He stood helpless as she placed the case she was carrying in her left hand on the floor, freeing it so she could press her trim fingers against a beautifully slender hip.

"Excuse me," _She's got the voice of an angel! _Outside Beast Boy stood, struck dumb, inside his heart was jump kicking his rib cage. "I am looking for Robin, could you direct me to him?"

Beast Boy's face vaulted. _Of course…_ "Yeah, he's in the common room. I can show you the way." Beast Boy dropped the piece of dry wall into the trash pile and turned to lead the beautiful guest to the common room.

The red head pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She looked obviously displeased. "Aren't you going to ask who I am? Is this how the security lapse occurred last week?"

Beast Boy felt a tremor run up his spine, turning back to look at her. It was then that he realized what that strap across her chest was attached to. A dark gray case, maybe six feet long, slanted at the same angle as the strap. A brief case and a huge duffle bag were on either side of her. Their color matched her dark gray skirt.

"Uh, right. I'm Beast Boy and you are?"

"I'm the agent from the AGU. I'm here to audit and evaluate your technological systems and networking infrastructure."

"Um, I have no idea what you just said, but I can still take you to Robin." Beast Boy ran to her side and lifted her duffle bag, surprised by how heavy it was. The beautiful older girl bent down and retrieved her brief case. "This way." Beast Boy directed the agent to the common room. When the door slid open and the pair walked in, Speedy and Aqualad froze in place, jaws dropped and hearts throbbing.

"Robin doesn't seem to be here." The red head noticed. Speedy and Aqualad sagged in defeat.

_Of course she's here for Robin._ The two thought in unison. They watched as the red head dropped her briefcase on the round table and opened it, pulling out a silver mini-computer and placing a red, glass like device over her right eye. Her fingers flew over the computer keys as she turned the device at different angles.

"What are you doing?" Beast Boy asked, unable to read the code that flew across the computer, to be honest, the yellow coding flying across the red glass over the agent's eyes worried him. He didn't know technology, but he knew what didn't look good.

"I'm doing a diagnostic scan on the condition of Titans' Tower. The AGU is very concerned about the safety of the Titans and the maintenance of your network."

"AGU?" Aqualad asked.

"Armed Guards Union."

The small group turned towards the new entrant. The red-haired agent smiled at the sight of Robin. Beast Boy fell over.

"Robin, it's good to see you again."

"You too, Celine. Titans, this is Celine Fletcher, she's a colonel in the Armed Guards Union, special division of defensive engineering and technology. Celine, this is Beast Boy, Aqualad and Speedy."

"Pleasure." Celine said softly.

"Yes, ma'am." The three Titans replied. Celine continued, trying her best to shake off their lustful gazes. She stood in front of them and with one finger repositioned their jaws to their upper lips. It did nothing to erase the look from their eyes. She ignored them and turned her eyes back to Robin.

"I'm sure you know why I am here Robin. The Justice League is rather concerned with this breach of security. And with you as an acting agent for the AGU, you can see why we are getting involved as well."

Robin rubbed the back of his head. "I figured you'd show up sooner or later. Can you brief me on the details of your assignment?"

Celine sat down on the table with the micro computer still in her hand. Her white vest rustled a little against the white and blue shirt she wore underneath. "The heads of the AGU and Justice League connection sent me here for two reasons: First, your defensive system is due for its mandatory update, it's been two years since we installed your systems. We want to install any new security features as well as networking upgrades. It just so happens that your recent attack fell within the range of your appointment. The attack brought to our attention how poor our correspondence has been. We apologize."

"It's just as much my fault as anyone's. I have an obligation to my team to keep everything up to standard."

"Hmm. I'm probably going to have to do a total overhaul, given the extent of the damage done." Celine removed the glass device from over her eye and laid it on the mini-computer. "I will remain here until the updates are beyond excellent."

"We'd greatly appreciate your assistance in any way Celine. Your specialization in strategy and engineering could help us inside the Tower and out."

"When I set up my system," Celine said, crossing her left ankle gently over the right, "I'll become invaluable.

"Celine, what's that?" Beast Boy asked, pointing to the grey case still attached to her back.

"Oh, that's my Fire Fly."

"Fire Fly?"

Celine leapt off the table and laid her case gently down before opening it. The grey case exposed a silver energy bazooka¹. There were blue sections and tube-like extensions running along the cylinder, a scoot was folded over, it looked heavy and Celine carried it with ease across her back.

"I'm an engineer by trade, my favorite specialization is ballistics. I built this sonic rifle for long range combat, though I usually sit behind a computer and give orders. If I help the Titans in battle, I will probably do if from my control post… But there is a reason why a brought the Fire Fly."

"Why is that?"

"Blood." Celine sneered.

"Blood? As in Brother Blood?" Beast Boy asked. Celine nodded, closing the Fire Fly case. It was the first time they had seen her confident shoulders sag.

"Brother Blood recently moved to the top of the AGU's list of most wanted criminals. He also remains our most elusive target."

"We've had our share of encounters with Blood." Robin stated.

"Oh? Our files seem to be out of date on your activities. We had heard Blood had been making his mark in Jump, we scouted out the HIVE academy, but again he slipped through our fingers. Blood is as dangerous a criminal as there is, its not just that he's doing such horrible crimes, but whom he's doing them to." Celine gritted. It had been the only mission she ever failed. _Not now Celine… you'll get him… You have to… _Celine retrieved her computer and continued her scan, ending the conversation where it was.

"You've done a good job with the cosmetic repairs." Celine stated to no one in particular.

"So Celine, if you fight crime and everything, how come you're in the Armed Union, not you know, a super hero for the Justice League?" Beast Boy asked.

"There's technically nothing super about me. But I'm pretty close. The reason the AGU was built was so that those who were exceptional, like Robin² and myself, could take a role in the defense of our world. The AGU works as a subunit of the Justice League, utilizing our skills for the better interest of the world. I'm really a strategist as far as battles go. I can defend myself in combat, but I'm best behind a computer giving orders. I'm the perfect circle, hence my handle OMICRON. I can see all within my circle of vision… Actually, my boyfriend gave the name to me…"

Three of the four Titans in the room sighed. "Oh course a beautiful girl like Celine has a boyfriend."

"You know," Speedy began, jerking a thumb in Celine's direction, "Celine and metal man have a lot in common. They should meet."

"You're right… He's probably still working on the network reconfiguration."

"Your technician? I would very much like to meet him."

The door to the common room slid open and Aqualad was the first to turn. "Oh, there he goes. Cyborg! We want you to meet…"

Celine turned to look at the new occupant of the common room. It's apparent from the look on her face that she's looking at the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

Celine stood stupefied for a moment before a name escaped her lips in a whisper, "V… Victor?"³

Cyborg's blue eye widened in surprise. "Celine?"

Robin had never seen someone move as fast as Celine did. One moment she was by his side, the next she was in Cyborg's arms, her arms around his neck, pressing a deep kiss to his lips. He blushed and turned away as Cyborg's large hands wrapped themselves with love and care around her slender waist.

Beast Boy was the first to recover from his stun. "Whoa, Celine! Wait a second! I know you like technological things, but you said you have a boyfriend!"

Cyborg seemed to register Beast Boy's words before Celine did and pulled back from the girl. Her brown eyes took in his blue one as a hand was laid gently on his chest. Cyborg touched the shell clip in Celine's hair and the younger girl leaned into the caress.

"I had almost given up hope of finding you Vic… I…"

"Celine… no…" Without another word Cyborg let the girl go and turned to flee the room. Celine dropped to her knees where she was, doing her best not to cry.

"Um… What just happened?" Speedy asked, standing in a line of confused Titans.

Beast Boy left the line and stood beside Celine. "You okay?" Celine said nothing and the rest of the Titans didn't know what else to do. Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder and wasn't surprised when she didn't move.

"Where do you think he went?" Celine asked in a weak voice.

"I don't know… I've never seen him act like that. Celine, maybe we should take you to your room… err, do we have a place she can stay?" Beast Boy asked.

"Most of the guest rooms are uninhabitable. Normally I suggest she stay with Star, but…" Robin frowned for a moment. "That only leaves one room left." Robin turned his eye to Beast Boy and Beast Boy knew exactly what room that was. He sucked in a breath and smiled weakly. "Come on Celine, I can show you to where you'll be staying."

Celine sighed and stood up, brushing herself off. She had hoped her reunion with Victor would have turned out better. _I just hoped it would be good… I… I have to get him to understand… I will give this everything I've got…_

…

Starfire helped Raven settle back into her room. Afterwards she flew into the common room and met Celine shortly after. At roughly dinner time, her favorite show came on and Robin gave up the remote to let her watch it. Robin would rather saw his foot off than watch World of Fungus, but for the day and any other days that followed; he'd ignore the out and out boringness of the program to make Starfire smile again.

When a commercial blared for something or other, Robin turned to the green-eyed Tameranian. He felt… he didn't exactly know what he felt. The last few weeks, since Slade was back, since the incident with Val-Yor, and even their last clash with Blood and the betrayal of Terra, the Titans had been changing. It made him sad, angry, happy, nervous and confused amongst all things. He knew he was silly for expecting things to stay the same forever, he knew better than anyone could have guessed how quickly the universe could tilt and throw you into a new world.

"Starfire, something is bothering you… are you still upset about your birthday?"

Starfire sunk into the chair, Robin's quick grab prevented her from falling through the couch.

"It is more than that… I… am sick for my home. I have not seen Tameran or even my sister in a very long time. My flochort reminded me just how very far away the planet Earth and my home are."

Robin wanted to pretend that Star had said "her planet" and not "her home". But she had, this was more than homesickness. This was… lost.

"Starfire, you are home. I can only image your feeling of homesickness, maybe we could take a trip soon."

Star shook her head. "That would be too selfish of me. The tower requires our attention." Starfire stood and made to walk out the room.⁴ Robin grabbed her wrist and pulled her to sit back down. He pushed a little hair from her face and smiled the smile that was just reserved for her. "The World of Fungus is on marathon today. You've done enough work for the rest of our lives. We'll start up work again when Celine gets settled."

Starfire's smile wasn't as dazzling as he had seen it before, but it was a smile and he would take it. Raven entered the common room during hour three of the World of Fungus marathon. She clinched her cloak together, seeing the two as they were. Robin turned his head after catching the dark energy wrap around a pillow at his side. He didn't move his arm, he didn't want to upset Starfire. He smiled to the other girl and returned to being painfully uninterested in the narrator describing the difference between true fungi and oomycetes. ⁵

Raven said nothing and thought nothing for a moment. There was nothing to say or think. Before coming into the room, she had cut her hair back. She needed to meditate and had come to the common room to do it. She knew it was silly, but she changed her mind. Raven walked out the room and headed for the roof.

…

The truth of the matter was Beast Boy had lied to Celine. He knew exactly where Cyborg had gone, and for that matter, so had the other Titans. They each had chosen to say nothing, realizing they were dealing with something that Cyborg had catalogued as his past, which meant they had no privileges to it. The day came and went without so much as a sighting of the mechanical Titan. The other Titans did their best not to mention, think of or in anyway act like Cyborg in Celine's general vicinity.

Speedy and Aqualad followed Celine's directions and unloaded her belongings from the back of her jeep. She had failed to mention there was a Timber wolf in the front seat. Their cries of shock didn't seem to phase the beast. A sharp whistle rolled through the air and the blue-haired beast leapt from the jeep and into the tower following his master's call. The blue dog knocked Beast Boy over in its hurried entrance to Ter.. to Celine's new room. Celine laughed behind her hand.

"I am sorry Beast Boy. Loberos⁶ is excitable. Loberos sit." The blue dog sat calmly in front of Beast Boy. Beast Boy stuck out a hand to pet the dog. "No! Don't! Loberos doesn't like other people!" Celine warned.

Beast Boy smirked. "I'm not other people." Beast Boy transformed into a Labrador and bumped Loberos affectionately. The blue wolf yipped in happiness. Beast Boy resumed form and petted the happy Loberos. Celine smiled, unsure of what to think of Beast Boy. She turned her back to the pair and continued to hang plaques along the desert sky background. Beast Boy gave one more pat to the handsome dog before taking a look at Celine's work. The black framed plaques didn't quite match the desert background, but that was really none of his concern…

"Wow, you're really smart. Masters in Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Biological Engineering…"

"You forgot Mechanical and Aerospace. I've got a Masters in every Engineering field and a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering." Celine said triumphantly.

"Umm, how old are you?"

"Seventeen. Why?"

Beast Boy sunk to the floor in a green pile of goo. "I'm fifteen and I have tutoring at Jump U every Thursday night."

"Well, Engineering and Mathematics are my strong points. Yours are your abilities and using them to help the citizens of Jump stay safe. Not every fifteen year old can do that."

"I guess you're right… So Celine, I know that you're probably going to be really busy and have other things that you need to think about, but I was wondering if you could take some time to think about something."

"This sounds very serious coming from you Beast Boy… What is it?"

"You do biological engineering, which is life… Earlier this year, something happened to a very good friend of mine… The girl whose room this is…"

"Beast Boy… I can't bring people back from the dead. That's not how…"

"No, no, no. That's not it!" Beast Boy interrupted. "She isn't dead, Cyborg said so. She's in a suspended state and we've been looking for a way to reverse the effect. So far, we haven't found anything, but since you're here and you're smart, maybe after you help with the computers, you can try to help her."

Celine didn't say anything for a moment and Beast Boy didn't wait for her reply. Celine's brow clenched as she watched Beast Boy pet Loberos once before leaving. The door slid closed, Beast Boy collapsed against the wall and Celine sat down and rubbed Loberos under the chin.

"I've been here two days and I've witnessed more heartbreak than a cheap romance novel. What have these Titans woven here?" Celine asked, looking into Loberos' silver eyes. Loberos dropped his head in Celine's lap. Celine sighed and thought for a moment. _What am I going to say to him, when I finally have him in my sights?_

End of Part Two

A/N

¹I took the idea for the weapon from Star Ocean 2, Opera carries a huge rifle weapon called a Fire Fly. I modified it, but I really liked the name.

²I've had this argument a million times. Technically, Robin, Batman and Batgirl aren't superheroes. They aren't super, they're exceptional. But Batman is my favorite comic book hero, so while Robin will be a member of the AGU, Batman (if mentioned) will be a member of the Justice League.

³ Identity has always been a big thing with Cyborg. I'm going to keep playing with his insecurity without diving too much into his past, except where Celine is concerned.

⁴ My favorite thing about Starfire is that her feelings guide her powers.

⁵I study Plant Science, if you don't know what an oomycete is, you aren't the only one.

⁶Loberos: Lo-bear-oas


	4. Absolute Genius Part Three

Chapter Two: Absolute Genius

Part Three

Officially, Cyborg didn't have a cowardly bone in his body. Ignoring the ratio of cowardice to bones in his body, Cyborg knew that he wasn't being childish, he was protecting himself. From what… two days ago he knew but at this very moment, he couldn't tell if he was running away from the past or running from the future. Either way, he knew that he would cause Celine's tears again and this time he wouldn't have a hideout under her sight to bury himself, to occupy is every moment, to forget about her. Forget the best thing that had ever happened to him.

He knew sooner or later that he would run into the younger girl. _She'll be eighteen in a few months, not really a girl anymore._ Cyborg stood in front of his dresser and retrieved a small photo from behind a few others. It was he and Celine accepting their trophies for winning the Brock County Science Fair. They had worked together and created a model that all but solved the biggest problem facing Brock County: building a bridge to let them out. Brock had been a trap, especially for the exceptionally bright, like himself and Celine. He only lived there because his father needed a place for his research to go uninterrupted and his mother seemed to have a baby every year. Celine had lived there to take care of her mother and when Elaina Keelin died, the only thing holding Celine in Brock was Victor Kwame Stone.

_She would have waited for me until she couldn't stand… I didn't think a love like that could be real, let alone long-lived._ Cyborg sighed and prepared to put his treasure back in its safe place; in the shadow, away from the light where no one could see it and no accidents could mar it. Cyborg's mechanical fingers flexed and for the world he wanted to slam that hand through the wall, and the other walls as well, and collapse his room onto his shoulders. He wasn't prepared for this, seeing Celine's eyes again, hearing her voice, feeling her touch after so many years, when he had pushed as hard as he could and she had run away.

He remembered the day as clearly as a day old babe would recall his birth¹. The accident should have taken his life. It had killed everyone else: all his brothers, his mother and his sister. The house stood in shambles and beams smashed and hammered at his sixteen year old body. Breathing was hard, seeing was painful and feeling anything other than the jaggedness of his heartbeat was impossible. He could remember the heat licking at his good eye, his muscles doing nothing to save him. In a moment of clarity he saw his father's face, standing over him panicked, calling his name, before a steam filled his eyes and his lungs and took away everything.

When he woke up, Celine was sitting in the window in that cool way that had made him fall in love with the fourteen year old girl. The light played off her dark red hair, pushing and flowing over her shoulder as she played with the fleshy junction between her right thumb and index finger. He raised his left hand weakly, to caress a tattoo he had gotten only a few weeks before, much to the displeasure of his parents, to find not smooth skin or even a blanket. He found a tube and cool metal. The shape of his hand became clear to him, it wasn't brown and smooth… it was thick and mechanical. Victor's panic struck him like a current of electricity. His hand, his chest… the cold feeling on the left side of his face! The overload drained him and collapsed into a fevered sleep before Celine even turned and noticed him.

The next sharpest memory was of Celine crying, holding his hand and begging him to reconsider. He turned his face from her.

"You can't mean that! You don't Vic! I know you're hurt, but this won't change us!"

"You don't know Celine… I'm different now and I can't tie you down to me, not like this."

"Tie me down? My love for you isn't a burden!"

"You're only saying that because you're young and haven't considered this in a long term. If you stay with me, you'll stay in Brock much longer than you should ever have to. You'll wait for a day that may never come… and you'll hate me."

"That isn't true!"

"Celine, I've thought this through. I want you to take the scholarship and go the Masterson and go on with your life. We can't go any farther and I refuse to hold you back."

"Vic, if you loved me at all, you couldn't ask this of me! I'm not some little girl with one chance! I'm the smartest girl in the world! Millions of chances will be thrown at me and I'll take them, but if only if I can keep you too!" Celine's tears had stopped, but the fury behind them remained on her face as she let go of his hand to place it over his chest. Her light brown eyes bore into his face before she collapsed against his chest and cried. "I won't ever leave you Vic. Never! You can beg and fight but I'm not going anywhere unless you're coming too."

He had considered telling her he didn't love her. But lying to the girl would mean losing her forever. While he knew that was the best thing for Celine to do, he couldn't bring his heart to give him the strength to do it.

"Celine… go to Masterson, study and find out what you're going to do for the rest of your life. Come back in a year. If you still feel the same, you'll find me here, if this was meant to be."

Celine knew it was the closest thing to a compromise that Vic was capable of. She nodded against his chest and dreaded the day she'd have to leave his embrace. He wasn't cold, like Dr. Stone had warned her. He felt the same, he was the same, no matter what a mirror or her own deceitful eyes showed.

Celine, true to her word, left for Masterson and came back in a year. But Victor wasn't there. His house was empty, none of the neighbors had seen him leave and the reality of what his wicked science had done finally bore its anger on Dr. Stone's mind. Rocking slowly in his institution cell he couldn't even remember his oldest son's name.

Cyborg had told himself that the reason why he had left Celine was because he couldn't bear the thought that one day, she would see him as more machine than man. She was a child and she liked machines: taking them apart, building them, finding every inch with her fingers and eyes until she knew all there was to know and then moving on.

He didn't know if he hadn't given her enough credit; after all, she couldn't stay fourteen forever. But he didn't want to find out if he had been wrong or not, because whether he was wrong, it wouldn't be the risk of him being right, to have the look of love turn to one of curiosity.

…

Robin had never been more confused in his entire life… and that was saying something. He had finally broken Starfire's sulk, by getting her to talk and lifting, if only slightly, a painful weight from her shoulders. For all her beauty and innocence, Starfire wore insecurity like a second skin. He was happy Starfire was talking and for the most part, her old self, but now, Raven wasn't speaking to him… _No, that isn't true_. He was exaggerating again, a habit that came often when thinking about the dark veiled sorceress. Raven **was** speaking to him; she was polite and answered anything he said to her. What she wasn't doing was **talking **to him and there was a difference. Their conversations had become more and more like the dialog bubbles in a comic book: the words were there, but they were flat and meaningless, and in someone else's handwriting.²

He had picked up small threads in her thoughts, but more and more those threads were painful sighs as if for minutes at a time she was capable of forgetting something painful, but the moment she remembered, all the truths she knew tore her playhouse down.³

It had been exactly fourteen days since Starfire's ruined Flochort and though the tower was standing as strong as it ever had, the inside was weaker than Robin could stand. Star was still healing, Speedy had left for his monthly training regime with the Green Lantern, Bumble Bee had still yet to return from her trip to the Justice League Headquarters, Cyborg and Celine couldn't seem to remain in the same room for more than a few moments and he swore Beast Boy hadn't made a single reference to tofu, mega monkey's or stankball in eight days. Robin had a nagging suspicion that he was forgetting something important.⁴

The new Titans' system was fully functional. Celine had integrated much of her personal technology into the Titans' computer. She had her own interface that she could direct no matter where she was. Their communicators now included a direct comm-line to Celine's control panel. The Titans had never been so organized, strategy-wise. It was some sort of irony that no major crime had occurred since the system installation.

Raven found that she liked being in Celine's company. Though the girl was older than she was, Raven found she could relate to the uncertainty Celine faced everyday. Celine could program a supercomputer in minutes, lead a million men to battle, or solve one of the world's leading problems in days, but when it came to her heart, the girl might have been standing still for all her progress. Raven sat on Celine's floor for half an hour before making up her mind, she forcefully removed Celine from her latest program (that Loberos didn't object would bother Raven for days) and dragged her down a flight of stairs and into a room marked Cyborg.

Cyborg stood stunned as he watched Raven shove Celine into his arms. Raven didn't say a single word, some string of logic telling her that if she didn't say anything, it didn't constitute meddling. She was still on the border on whether or not sealing the exit behind her **did**.

Celine stayed in Cyborg's arms until he finally pushed her back. Her hand reached out to him, but she didn't take another step forward. Her fist clenched suddenly and her voice took a sharpness that Cyborg never heard before.

"Victor… I'm the smartest woman in the world, I've solved more problems in my short years than thousands have in lifetimes… but none of that means anything, nothing means more to me than you do. I'm not a little girl anymore and you can't run me away… unless you can tell me right now that you don't love me anymore."

"Celine… I can't say that." Cyborg finally admitted. "My loving you was never the issue."

"Then what? Why are you keeping me away… I told you before, after the accident and every day when you were asleep. This doesn't change anyth…"

"It changes everything Celine! Things **are** different!"

"Vic…"

"Don't call me that."

"But that's your name, your parents gave you that name, it's yours."

"Victor Stone is in the past."

Celine might have, at that very moment understood why he had pushed her away so hard for so long. Celine turned and pressed her right hand, spread fingers lying in an exact place that she knew was throbbing under all his metal. The tattoo was ever more meaningful now then it had been the night they had snuck out to get them, the night her mother had finally gone gently into that good night. The half heart, cut smooth down the middle, almost trembled with the desire Celine held in her chest. Cyborg clutched her hand, the pain of knowing his half of the heart would never see the light of day.

"All of you is in the past Vic… that's why it's your history; it's unshakable, no matter how hard you run. I know what you want Vic, a future clean of the pain of everything that isn't what you wanted it to be… but every time you run from me, you keep that pain with you to cycle through all your days. Tomorrow can be better if you let me in, if you let me love you like we did when everything was beautiful. We can have it the way you want it Vic. All the bad things can't happen again. Only good things can come, if you let them."

For a moment, Celine thought she may have misunderstood. Cyborg held perfectly still before he collapsed to his knees and buried his head in her stomach. His arms gripped her hips, his fear, his insecurity rocked both of their bodies.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

…

Just after nine PM that night the Titans' alarm went off. Celine entered her control panel; her fingers flew over the keys as a scouter⁵ dropped over her right eye. The monitors flew to life. A cool smile crossed her lips and she sent directions and initial instructions to the Titans.

"Alright guys," Celine's voice echoing from their communicators, "The villain known as Mad Mod was spotted trying to break into the Embassy in downtown Jump. Chances are he's after some of the historical artifacts. Be careful, those artifacts are priceless."

"Gotcha Celine! Titans Go!"

The team slipped nearly unnoticed into the Embassy. Cyborg's flashlight lit the government building. The Titans were surprised to find that Mad Mod wasn't in the museum. The whole team headed to the department quarters where they found him running his cane along a wall, a sharp edge was hidden from view but became apparent to the Titans when the sliced portion fell free.

"Mad Mod it's…" Robin thought for a moment and for the first time, couldn't throw out a catch phrase to mark their entrance.⁶

"Umm, aren't you supposed to say something… else?" Beast Boy asked.

"It doesn't matter. Let's stop Mad Mod from doing whatever it is he's up to."

"But my li'l duckies, how will you stop me when you don't know what I'm up to?" Mod asked before turning his cane towards the Titans releasing a pellet into the air. Mad Mod gave it a swing with his cane as he would a cricket bat. The pellet exploded and blinded the team. When the smoke cleared they realized what Mad Mod had known, behind the wall was a vault and whatever was in it was now in the possession of Mad Mod.

"Titans split up and find him. Whatever Mad Mod got his hands on, its best he doesn't have it for long."

Robin and Cyborg ran down a corridor trying to pick up Mad Mod's trail.

"Cyborg, Robin! Turn left down this hallway! My scanners picked up a heat source that isn't carrying one of my communicators!"

"Gotcha Babe! Let's go Rob!"

The sharp turn down the hall brought Robin and Cyborg to where Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy had arrived moments before. Aqualad was the first to voice his surprise.

"Wait! We were all chasing him… so who caught him?" Before the Titans, Mad Mod was planted face first into the floor, bum in the air, golden ducks and British flags swirling around his head.

"Titans! I'm picking something up on my scanners. The signal is faint, I think whoever it is uses cloaking technology… and it's pretty advanced."

_Advanced cloaking technology… _Robin felt the wind change above his head and only barely tumbled out of the way of the kick that would have laid him out. His would be assailant slid smoothly across the floor and tapped a disk against his shoulder.

"You know Robin, any slower and you'd be going backwards." The mechanical hum and hiss was monotone as always.

"X."

"You remembered."

"What are you doing here? Can't you see we're already handling a whack job bad guy?" Beast Boy asked.

"I couldn't let this low life have all the fun…"

"Taking out bad guys isn't like you, X. Last time you were saving your neck, what's in it for you this time?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I missed you?"

"No." Raven replied.

"Good… I'd hate to think you're that gullible." With that Red X leapt into the air and tossed two huge X's at the team. The flying Titans fled to the air as Beast Boy and Aqualad were thrown back by the first explosion and Robin and Cyborg were thrown off balance by the other. Starfire unleashed her starbolts in rapid fire and missed Red X every time. Raven's dark energy was returned, wrapping around Star and herself, hurling them both to the ground. Robin spared a glance at the girls before tackling Red X. The two grappled for position until Red X pinned Robin's arms to his sides, but not his feet. Robin planted two boots into X's stomach, his momentum bringing him to his feet. X was bashed midair by a charging green rhino and slammed silently into a support tower. He ducked under Cyborg's punch and fastened an X to Cyborg's stomach before tumbled out of the way. The X melted and poured goo across the mechanical Titan's chest and arms, pinning them to his sides before hardening.

"Ah man! Nothing gets red goop out!" Cyborg groaned.

A diving drop kick from Aqualad knocked Red X off his balance. Robin hurled two exploding disks at the copy-cat villain. When the smoke cleared Raven and the others couldn't find X.

"I've got a faint trace. Titans above!" Celine's voice pierced their communicators. All Titans turned their eyes skyward and caught a glimpse of Red X trying to make his escape. Raven's dark energy shook the beams beneath his feet and sent him back to the ground. No one had foreseen Red X vaulting at Raven and taking her to the ground with him. They landed with a loud thud, Raven's body taking most of the extent of the fall.

Red X pinned the sorceress to the ground and held a sharp X in the most threatening of manners against her cheek.

"Somehow I didn't notice before just how much of a looker you are. Great stems, awesome curves⁷, and that long hair…With you on my arm cutie, there's nothing we couldn't do in the dark."

Raven gasped at X's words catching his hand before it could grab her thigh like he intended. Robin seethed as he advanced, his rage blinding him. "Get away from her!" He demanded, arm drawn back for a punch. Red X dodged Robin's blow easily, rolling off of Raven's body. Robin tripped over Raven and watched as X fled into the darkness. He pulled himself to his knees, turning to face Raven who had yet to move from her prone position.

"Are you okay?"

Raven smiled. Robin raised his eyebrow.

"I'm better than okay. I just stole from a master thief." Raven said holding up the disk Red X had pilfered. Robin laughed and ran a hand through his hair. He put a hand to his communicator. "Celine, we stopped the robbery. Red X got away, but we've got Mad Mod. We should be back shortly."

"No worries. I've contacted the special tactics unit to take Mod to jail. See you when you get back."

Starfire and Aqualad helped free Cyborg from his red mold casing. Robin helped Raven up. Raven smiled crookedly and raised a thumb to rub out a smudge on Robin's cheek. Robin and the rest of the Titans said nothing.

End of Chapter two

A/N:

¹ That's just a long winded way of saying "like it was yesterday"

² I'm not sure where I heard that quote from, but its one of my favorites.

³ A modified version of my friend Rob's quote "I will take all the truths I know and tear your playhouse down".

⁴ That isn't referring to Aqualad and Raven. Chapter three will make this make since.

⁵If you hadn't figured it out, the red glass that Celine wears over her eye is a scouter.

⁶ It's more of **I **couldn't think of something clever for Robin to say.

⁷In fanfics, everyone always takes great care to mention Raven's legs and curviness. I am no different.


	5. Of Fairs and Fairy Tales

Chapter Three: Of Fairs and Fairy Tales

A/N

A bit of warning: Robin is going to say/think some things that will seem out of character. I did it on purpose and it will only last a few paragraphs. The Boy Wonder is my favorite character and I like playing with all the sides of his ego and personality. One of the sides I'm going to present is one that, like his past, is buried pretty deep. Enjoy.

…

Fires were the worst dangers the Titans encountered. They were the most dangerous and most unpredictable of all the forces they faced. Villains and criminals all had M.O.s, but fires were beyond Raven's magic and no strategy that Celine built could predict the next flicker of danger.

Beast Boy and Aqualad threw water at the burning apartment building as Robin and Cyborg steadied the firehouse. Against Robin's protests, Raven and Starfire had flown inside to make sure everyone had gotten out.

The smoke would have suffocated any other person, but Starfire was only barely fazed. She was rarely gladder¹ for her ability to endure harsh conditions. She held up collapsing beams as Raven flew through for her final sweep. Celine's scan had been useless, with so much intense flames, there was no way to pick up a small life form, but Raven's arms could. Raven found the little girl, collapsed near her bed and a man a few feet away struck down by a beam. Starfire pulled the beam away and pulled the man to her shoulders as Raven gently lifted the small girl to her arms, cradling her close. Raven's soul self escaped, carrying Starfire and their precious burdens.

Behind them, the building caved under the fire, but the fire fighters didn't give up. The small girl in Raven's arms had come to just before the paramedics came. Her big blue eyes stared at Raven and held out small fingers for her to hold.

"My name is Raven. What's yours?" Raven asked the little girl.

"Ellie Parker."

"Ellie, you're safe now. You and your father are going to be alright." Raven said. Robin didn't know Raven was capable of such kindness, but he should have. Raven was a woman after all. He watched Raven as she calmed the girl's fears, handing her a small teddy bear that the paramedics kept incase their charges were small children. Ellie's father was helped into the ambulance and Ellie placed in afterwards. Raven watched the ambulance drive off before turning back, realizing the fire had been put out. Robin observed her for a few more seconds before turning the girl's face into his shoulder, holding her close while she pulled herself together.

Robin had observed that that day had started as any other day had: Beast Boy and Cyborg fighting over breakfast, Celine sitting Indian style on the floor as she worked on a new proto-type to solve some global problem (which, Beast Boy found out, all super geniuses did in their spare time), Starfire observed Celine in wonderment at the vast array of "doodads" and "shiny thingies". It still surprised Robin just how patient Celine was to explain what she was doing to the bubbly alien. Aqualad appeared to be missing in action and the Tower was still void of Bumble Bee and Speedy. Robin's eyes scanned the common room when he realized he had missed someone.

Raven lay on the floor, either asleep against the profile of Loberos, or watching the world with her mind instead of her eyes. Robin paused a moment to just look at her and found that he could do simply that for more than a moment, more than minutes, and not be still amazed by the flawlessness of her calm. He had always thought Raven was pretty, maybe not beautiful, but that opinion, without his conscious reconfiguring, had changed. She was beautiful. Relaxed, in anger, in her eternal state of exasperation, Raven was beautiful. He might have told her so (though in his heart he knew that wasn't the case) if he didn't think ill would come from it. He liked her, in a way that he had thought he liked Starfire, but the feelings he felt for the two girls were as different as… _well, the two girls… _It wasn't as if he was in love with Raven and no longer in love with Starfire. The fact of the matter was Robin was **not** in **love**. He **liked** girls, an emphasis on the two flight-gifted Titans. He was in a strange place and hoped no one made an effort to move him out of that place, one direction or the other. Robin shook his head before leaping over the coach and exiting the common room. He made it half way to his bedroom when Starfire caught up to him.

"Robin. I have a question that requires your most honest answer."

Robin turned stark white for a moment; he could feel it in his bones that he wasn't going to like where this was going. The truth was he didn't actually owe Starfire anything. It sounded cruel in his head and even more in that moral fiber that constricted, as it saw fit, around his heart. Starfire and he were in an unusual phase in their friendship; they were never officially boyfriend and girlfriend, no matter how that relationship was hinted at and dolled up². He steeled himself for the worst. His feet steadied, knees turned to flee and an exploding disk ready if she followed.

"I have wondered the possibility of my up taking your suggestion to return to Tameran for a short getting away."

Robin face vaulted, leaving a confused Starfire to readjust his standing position, pulling him up by the collar.

"Does this present something of a problem?"

"No Star, not at…"

The alarm blared behind them and Starfire's amulets flickered to life. The two dashed to the control room and found Celine turning out orders. The fire had broken out in central Jump only a few minutes away. The apartment building housed nearly one-hundred people and not all of them had been accounted for.

The Titans took off to aid in rescue and were cheered for and praised when the fire was defeated and all one-hundred lives were out of danger. _So why does Raven feel so bad?_ Robin knew, as Raven stepped away from him, that there was something more to Raven's poor mood than a little girl almost left behind in the fire. It wasn't the danger the little girl faced, it was the little girl… whose eyes were big and blue and held some sparkle of innocence. Maybe Raven had that sparkle once, before they told her all the terrible things she would do, before she recognized her dark powers, before she believed everything they said. _Maybe Starfire isn't the only one sick for her home_.³

While fighting fires wasn't common to the Titans, attending a fair later that night was the rarest thing they engaged in. Under most circumstances they wouldn't have gone. But no one felt bad about taking the night off when they got the full breadth of the situation.

Beast Boy came running in to the common room holding a paper in his hand. He knocked over Raven and Aqualad and toppled Celine and Robin's card pyramid. It was finally Cyborg's hand clutching his collar and pulling him two feet off the ground that stopped Beast Boy's rampage.

"BB, what is wrong with you?"

"I got an A! I got an A! I took my math test this afternoon and my tutor graded it right there! I got an A!"

Celine took the paper from Beast Boy's hands and turned the paper to the Titans. Indeed, Beast Boy's name was tagged to a corner and there was a huge blue A on the top. Cheers of "way to go" and "alright" rumbled across several lips.

"A ninety seven out of one hundred, that's nearly a perfect score. Good job Beast Boy." Raven said.

"Go Beast Boy, you're a smart guy! Go Beast Boy, you're a smart guy!" Beast Boy chanted as he leapt around. The team endured the over-excited changeling wordlessly for a few moments. It was Celine's shaking her head that dropped Raven's energy shrouded hand back to her side. Beast Boy finally stopped himself to catch his breath.

"That's not even the best part! My tutor was so happy with my progress; he gave me tickets to the fair in Steel City tonight! Enough for all of us!" Beast Boy fanned out the tickets and indeed there was enough for all of them. If Speedy or Bumble Bee returned that night, they'd be out of luck. None of the Titans objected with the celebration, it wasn't common that they could celebrate something other than beating the bad guy. Tonight they were going to take time to enjoy each other's company without villains or criminal activity tainting the moment.

The night sky was filled with shattering fireworks, adding to the night's already dazzling million points of light. Starfire charged happily to the concession stand for unhealthy portions of cotton candy. Robin watched her for a moment and turned green around the neck as he watched her consume cotton candy number nine. Cyborg flexed his muscle at the strong man competition and won Celine more prizes than she could carry. Each cheer of "BOOYAH!" added another stuffed animal to the pile until Celine couldn't hold anymore and collapsed under a mountain of plushies.

As far as prize winning went, Beast Boy was not having his best night. Raven tapped her foot impatiently as Beast Boy steadied his aim for attempt number three at knocking down the milk bottle pyramid. She had considered 'helping' the bottles collapse but remembered that his was for Beast Boy. Instead she stood and crossed her arms as Beast Boy missed by a good three feet.

"Oh man! This thing is rigged."

"Have you considered you're just not good at this?" _So much for being nice_. Raven shrugged. She **had** tried. Magnitude wasn't as important as the fact that she at least made the effort.

"I can't throw straight on an empty stomach! Raven! Can you get me a funnel cake? I just need a sugar fix to give me the right focus."

Raven realized she probably wouldn't get another chance to flee as Beast Boy wound up. She had walked all of twenty feet when she realized she had no idea where the funnel cake was sold. She shrugged her shoulders and walked around.

Robin found that walking in a pair with Aqualad was not conducive to having a good time. The two had been swarmed immediately by a horde of fangirls wanting a piece of Aqualad or Robin or some freaky combination of the both of them that Robin didn't want to think about. He had managed to shrug off his pursuers, but found himself in the seedy area of the fair, behind the roller coaster and face painting tent. He looked around, trying to find another way back into the fair, paranoid that the estrogen-fuelled mob was able to pick up his scent; he couldn't go backwards so he went straight ahead.

**BANG**

For his entire life, Robin couldn't figure out how he had missed the overhanging board that was the source of his current headache. _I didn't miss it, I walked right into it. That's going to leave a mark._ An old man laughed at him. At least Robin thought it was an old man until he got a full view. Robin knew it wasn't polite to stare, but he had never **seen** anything that **old **before. The hermit didn't seem pleased with Robin's stare and whacked him in the shin with its cane.

"You are very rude." The hermit was definitely a woman. She took off her robes and laid them on a stool before she sat on them. "You are fortunate that you are also very brave or I would have turned you into a newt."

Robin's shin cooled and without a word turned to leave the old woman behind.

"With the way you treat women, I'm surprised she likes you at all." Robin swallowed nervously before turning a clean 180 to face the woman again. "There is only so much saying for looks when the personality is lacking." Robin didn't know if it was a warning or not, but he had a feeling the hermit-woman wasn't done talking to him.

"I'm a smart guy, so don't play any games with me. You lead me here; I didn't stumble into that board… seeing as it's a sign for your stand, you must have wanted me to stop. So what do you want?"

"Come. Come. Sit. Sit. I have much to tell you and you're impatience can only be tolerated for so long."

It only startled Robin slightly when a chair that he **knew** wasn't there before waited for him to utilize it. He sat down, folded his arms over the woman's stand and waited. "Well?"

"I can't show you anything until I know what you want to see. I can't go backwards boy, just to tell you now, the past is a gift that the living can share with their loved ones. It isn't mine to tinker and parade like some gaudy stone."

"Alright, but what makes you think I want to see anything at all?"

"Because you fear, like every other man ever born. Yesterday was a nightmare, today is uncertain and tomorrow is the only thing that may not be cruel, but you're scared that you don't want the same thing as those you care about."

Robin's masked eyes narrowed behind their shield. "I can show you something, about her or you or both of you, in the most likely way your lives will overlap. It is not absolute; nothing is absolute but death and fear. I can show you parts of her, parts of you. Stories they'll write about you are at my command and every sigh and stumble that you could make tomorrow are within my hand. Now tell me dear boy what to see?"

"I want to see her happy." Robin whispered.

"Oh, you stupid boy. You will get what you asked for." Robin collapsed to the ground without warning.

…

The sky was a gold-purple hybrid as the sun finished its decent behind the west Gotham mountain ranges. Richard pulled a hand from his coat pocket to smooth out his pony tail. His destination was two houses down the street on the left. His walk was brisk but stiff, his legs were still fighting him and the cane could only alleviate so much of the pressure. His leather jacket kept out what was the beginning of the cold. Any chill could cool his bones, especially the vertebrae that were left shattered by that one faithful bullet.

The brown brick building was lit like every other house, lights on in nearly every room and the porch light glowing weakly. Richard tapped at the bulb, happy to see it shine brightly before maintaining its poor hum. He knocked sharply and counted to three. A smile crossed his handsome face when the patter of excited feet came closer and finally stopped on the other side of the door. The lock slid free and the door opened inward. Two blue eyes looked him from toe to chin, then finally at his face. The blue eyes sat in the face of a pale skinned boy; nine years old and suffering from leukemia. His brown hair was just returning peach fuzz, hidden under a baseball cap. But, boy, it was beautiful when he smiled.

"Uncle Richard!" The boy yelled.

"Hi Andrew." Before the older man could step into the house Andrew called over his shoulder "Sean! Sean! Uncle Richard is here! Get Miss Raven." A smaller boy, Sean, ignored the second half of Andrew's call and ran excitedly into the foyer, taking his place behind Andrew. Sean was going to be five in three days, it was one of the reasons why Richard had left East Gotham and visited their home. Sean bounced up and down behind Andrew trying to get a better look at "Uncle Richard". Dick Grayson let himself in and patted the younger boy on the head.

"You're getting big Sean. You're going to catch up to me soon."

"Uncle Richard! Look what I can do!" Sean bounced on one foot, then the other, then both feet. Richard clapped his hands together. "You're getting at that, kiddo." Andrew pulled Richard into the small living room and the two boys sat on either side of him.

"Miss Raven is putting away the laundry. Sean! I told you to go get her!"

"You get her! I want to talk to Uncle Richard!"

"Nothing is going to stop you from talking to him when you get back! Now get!" The smaller boy didn't move a muscle. Andrew finally gave up and went to find Miss Raven. Not a second after Andrew was out of sight; Sean furrowed his brow, noticing Richard's cane. "Uncle Richard… you said your legs were all better, why do you still have your cane?"

"You know how us old people are Sean. You push us a little and we break. Remember when Miss Raven broke her nose? She had to wear that bandage even after she was all better."

"Excuse me, but I resent the fact that you called me old, especially in my home."

Richard turned his head, playing his cocky smile, ready to win her over in a minute. Raven stood as pretty as she did in his memory. Her long straight hair was pulled away from her face with a black scarf; two plaits around her face fell over her shoulders and around the fullness of her chest. The light lilac vest she wore didn't meet her brown knee length leather skirt and a band of skin one inch tall was exposed. Ravens hands were on her hips, sandal clad feet tapping in mock anger.

"You've called me an old man more times than I can count and since you're six months older than me, by definition you must be old."

Raven shook her head and sat in an arm chair that only her or the dog, when he felt particularly bold, ever sat in. She crossed a slender leg over the other. "Now that you're done calling me an old maid, what brings you here?"

"Who said I was done?"

Raven stuck out her tongue. "It's good to see you Richard."

Richard nodded. "I just came to stop by before all the hustle and bustle begins about Sean's birthday. I'm really sorry I can't be here for it big man."

"You can make it up to me by telling me another story!"

"Sean, you mustn't be rude. Richard gave you a gift already."

"It's alright, Rae. I've got one I've been saving up for days now." The two boys scooted closer to Richard, ready to be amazed by his story. "This is my best story yet."

"Is it about when you were a Titan?" Andrew asked.

"Better, it's about another Titan, the most powerful Titan of them all. This is the story of the most beautiful sorceress ever known. She was gifted with the most amazing magic. She was the champion of the lands and with her faithful knights she could conquer any villain she came across."

"Who was she?" "What was her name?"

"We called her Fair Raven." Raven turned two shades of red as she listened to Richard's story. By some great luck neither of the boys turned a questioning eye to her. Raven sat perfectly still, not to give any hint that Richard might be talking about her. Towards the end of Richard's ridiculous rendition of how she defeated "a most wicked dragon", Sean turned a brown eye to Raven.

"Miss Raven! The sorceress is named Raven too! When your parents saw how pretty you were did they name you after her?"

Raven sat speechless for a moment before nodding. The small gesture seemed to satisfy the boy and Richard went on with his story. Later that night, when both boys were tucked away, Raven punched Richard in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" The assault continued when a rain of pillows dog piled on top of him.

"You promised!" Raven rasped in a furied whisper. "I asked you never to mention my past in front of those boys! I don't ever want them to know I was a Titan. I don't want anyone to remember me!"

"Raven, being a Titan is part of you. Why are you ashamed?"

"You know very well I'm not ashamed! The Titans are gone now, Richard, and we've all moved on, but that doesn't mean there aren't grudges lying around. If Sean accidentally let out that he thought I was a Titan… word spreads fast in Gotham. You know that."

"It's not like you can't defend them."

"My **past** is not something I'm prepared to defend them against."

Richard observed her while she sat down beside him on her bed. He fell back across the mattress, the throb in his spine at dull roar. "The potential parents decided not to adopt Sean didn't they?" Raven nodded.

"They take one look at his prosthetic legs and turn away. The same thing with Andrew, once they realize he's sick, they look for someone else. They don't even let themselves look past that to see that they're great kids."

When the Titans had disbanded eight years ago, they had all gone their separate ways. Star went home, Cyborg opened a tech lab on the other side of the country, Beast Boy returned to South Africa, "Robin" went back to Gotham and Raven had went with him⁴. "Robin" returned to Batman's side before the Joker grew too accustomed to the Boy Wonder's face and made to erase him. The bullet had collapsed his spine and like an arch with its key stone hammered from its place, his body crumbled like a Greek tragedy. Raven stayed with him, or rather, Raven brought him to stay with her in a spare room just off side of her's in the six bedroom house she had turned into an orphanage. Over the recovery period, "Robin" watched Raven grow more beautiful, mature and strong as she let each one of her nine children go. When there were only three children left, Raven exhausted herself with the last phase of healing "Robin's" body. Instead she killed him, the Boy Wonder stopped breathing and Richard Grayson was a whole man.

Raven fell back to the mattress as well. Her long hair mixed with Richard's equally long hair, the colors streamed like an unfinished painting, neither of them noticed. "No Nightwing tonight?" Raven asked.

Richard had considered staying with Raven and helping her run her orphanage. But his blood boiled for vigilante justice and he borne Nightwing. "He'll make an appearance in a day or two. Perhaps after saving the Fair Raven from the clutches of a great danger, he is her good knight."

"And what will he be rescuing the most powerful sorceress in the world from?" Raven asked, playing along.

"Despair."

Raven's brow furrowed. "Despair? I don't feel…" Richard rolled over her, supporting his body above hers with his arms. Her shock allowed him to continue uninterrupted. "Rae, that bond doesn't die just because we don't live in a giant T anymore. I could feel your pain over my body. It scared me." Raven turned her head but didn't resist when Richard's finger tilted her chin back. "You're scared Raven… that you'll have to be a mother to these boys. Why does that scare you?"

"They deserve better. Those boys should have the best of what the world can give them." Raven replied. Richard's hair escaped its pony tail and fell over her fingers as she stroked it.

"You are just as good as any foster family could be. Probably better. You've been a great mother to them. I don't know how you couldn't notice but those boys adore you. Is the idea of having them call you 'mom' so terrible?"

"No… it would be wonderful…" The tears fell out of Raven's eyes but she didn't sob a single breath. Richard understood. Raven wanted to be a mother, but she was alone and all she had were those two boys. Nothing would be able to stop two sets of parents walking into her home and taking them away. What would she have then? _Raven… don't you know all that you have?_

Richard did was he should have done all those years ago and every day since. He leaned down and kissed Raven, just once on her mouth. Raven's face held surprise when he pulled back. "Why did you do that?" Raven asked.

"Because you need to know. Tomorrow and as long as I and those boys down the hall breathe, we're blessed to have you and want you to be happy. I could be… as Nightwing or Richard Grayson… we **can** be… a family."

Raven sighed that beautiful way she did and held Richard's face in her hands. Richard dropped his full weight unto Raven's slender form. She hugged him tight.

"Do you think… you could… wear the mask?" Richard smiled that smile of his and set about making sure neither of them said more than a sentence for the rest of the night.

_**Beat, beat heartbeat…**_

Robin woke up with a throbbing headache. He turned his face towards the Hermit's stand to find that it wasn't there anymore. _Of course not, that's how these things always work._ Robin stood up and dusted off his cape. That vision had been… weird… nice… beautiful… frightening… He wanted to see her happy, but the whole thing made **him** feel glad. He looked around, but didn't catch a single glimpse of the old woman. He forgot about the fangirl mob and headed back the way he came.

Normally a tug like the one she just felt would have resulted in someone getting thrown across a room. Someone was terribly lucky Raven's mood was good. Raven turned around and found a small girl looking at her sheepishly.

"Ellie?"

"Hi Miss Raven. I saw you and the other Titans when my daddy and me got off the bumper cars. I saw Beast Boy trying to win a prize so," Ellie presented a green monkey with interlocking hands for Raven. "My daddy won it, but it's from me too." Raven knelt down in front of the brown haired girl and accepted the gift. She wrapped her arms around the miscolored monkey.

"Thank you Ellie. Thank you as well Mr. Parker." Raven noticed that a small teddy bear was poking out of Ellie's jacket pocket. It was the one she had given her only a few hours before.

"No, we're thanking you Raven. You saved my daughter's life and for that I'm infinitely thankful. I wish I had a better reward."

"No Daddy! This one's good! I picked it out Miss Raven and I want you to keep it close to your heart forever, like I'm going to do with you!" Raven sat stunned at the girl's admission. Her voice spoke without her, wishing the Parkers all the joy in the world, knowing it wouldn't measure a fraction of what she felt at that moment.

Mr. Parker collected Ellie and the girl giggled in delight as he hoisted her to his shoulders. Raven clutched the plushy closer to her chest. _I wonder… if my childhood could haven been happy like that?_ Raven shook her head furiously. _You aren't like Ellie and your father is a demon, not capable of caring and being affectionate like Mr. Parker._

The image of Mr. Parker and Ellie faded in seconds as another conquered her psyche. She was seeing herself; older, body mature. She was standing, half bent over, offering her open arms to a toddling baby girl who made her way excitedly, in uneven, rushed steps, towards her. The tiny child left the arms of her father, who sat with arms braced to catch the baby should she miss step. He needn't worry. The girl all but leapt into Raven's arms and the purple hair woman lifted the pretty child to her cheek, cooing the girl's name.⁵

The image faded, drawing a tear from the hardened sorceress's eye. Raven rose to her feet. As she dusted off her knees, she found that she was standing in front of the concession stand that sold funnel cake. She then remembered Beast Boy, who probably exhausted all of his money and sugar and went to rectify the situation.

Robin found Raven standing near a totally drained Beast Boy. The green boy could barely lift his throwing arm and for all his success, Raven couldn't tell the difference.

"The first time he tried and failed I laughed. After the thirteenth time it wasn't funny anymore." Raven raised her arms in a dramatic motion. "Oh will no brave knight gain me my prize?"

Robin stood stunned for a moment than pushed the pile of Beast Boy away from center of the throwing platform. He fisted the ball firmly before throwing his arm back and pitching the ball. He had hit dead center but only two of the bottles fell over. He looked to Raven with an eyebrow raised.

_I couldn't let you do it in one try, after Beast Boy tried so hard._ Robin nodded and picked up another ball, this shot knocked all the bottles over.

"We have a winner!" Beast Boy's jaw dropped and a high pitched squeal escaped him. He turned to Robin, unable to form the words to express his shock. Instead he pointed his finger at the toppled pyramid with tears running down his face. Robin shrugged, "Beginner's luck I guess."

"Good sir! Pick your prize for your lady."

Robin pointed immediately to a brown bunny with marble brown eyes. The dealer handed it to Robin who turned to present it to Raven. Raven's brow furrowed. "Robin, I can't take that. You won that."

"I won it for you."

"I… but Robin…" _That's not fair._

"Raven. Take it." _Then make it fair…_

_How do I do that?_

"Trade." Robin said out loud. He pointed to the green monkey that clung to Raven's left arm. Raven looked wounded for a moment; as if the suggestion was the basest thing Robin was capable of saying. But without thinking about it, without evaluating the consequences, Raven wrapped the green monkey around Robin's shoulder and accepted the soft plushy in return. Robin's arm wrapped around Raven's slender waist and he lead her away from the Beast Boy shaped statue, back towards the full excitement of the fair.⁶

The End of Chapter Three

A/N

¹I honestly didn't know gladder was a word.

² I'm not saying there was no relationship, there definitely was one. But even Stranded didn't out and out say they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

³ I know that that doesn't make sense, but I want to emphasis that the bond that Robin and Raven have isn't flawless and there are things about her that he doesn't understand.

⁴ Robin went solo and Raven went with him. Ha.

⁵ Remember this, it'll be important in later chapters. Don't get ahead of yourselves though. "Rob and Rae and the baby **do not **make three"

⁶ I think it should be painfully obvious that Raven did **exactly** what Ellie told her to.


	6. Raven Haired Sakura Part One

Chapter Four:

The Raven Haired Sakura

Celine's impressive library was growing. It seemed every day she was receiving books since the day she had arrived, the volume steadily increasing. Cyborg was often awoken from sleep when in Celine's room¹ by Celine pacing back and forth across the floor, a headlamp shining on a book she was reading at lightning fast speed or her scribblings which, as of late, had become furious and nearly unreadable and exponentially louder forged into the drawing board. Despite her divided attention, Celine hadn't forgotten the promise she didn't make. She collected all the data she could about Terra's condition and the newly developed Reverse Engineering field. Celine sighed thinking about the day Beast Boy had taken her to "meet" Terra.

The statue stood free of any damage not natural to the girl's condition. Beast Boy had told her what had happened and Celine considered if she was doing the right thing. But when she looked into Beast Boy's innocent green eyes, she knew that it wasn't about Terra and the terrible things she had done. It was about Beast Boy and Beast Boy could do no wrong.

Her scans had detected a bio-electric pulse resonating weakly in the stone. The girl **was** alive, but devising a method to amplify that pulse to a degree that she could manipulate it was proving to be a task that would take Celine more than a few days and a few dozen equations.

Cyborg watched Celine pace that night, the night of the fair, and remained immune to her absolute perfection. Cyborg had tried, he really had. But he could tell, after the years of his running and their both becoming people that he couldn't recognize; the spark that had made Celine the most beautiful woman in the world to him was gone… and he wasn't getting it back; whether because he didn't have the capacity or because he didn't want to wasn't the issue. He had one concern, how was he going to tell the woman that loved him more than her own life, that maybe love, on his part, wasn't the right word?

…

No one knew the real reason why Raven had started smiling. They thought it was because she had nearly mastered a hold on her emotions. The truth was that any day could be their last. The fire within her had been awakened, long before Slade had shown up, long before the others knew the truth of her pedigree. Trigon was lurking in the darkest crevices of her heart and Raven had neither the power nor the persistence to purge him from there. So Trigon's power grew with the beat-beat of her throbbing heart.

The night of the fair, Raven went to bed with a brown bunny looking over her. She smiled thinking about the silly little thing Robin had given her, with it's toppled over ears and marble eyes. It wasn't much of a prize, but it was Raven's most valued possession. Raven said good night to the stars and the moon… and fell into the worst sleep of her life.

**HOT**. Scolding, the wind stung like demon's breath. He marched out silently, as the others did behind him. A girl was formless in her protector's arms. Pain ripped through his young lungs as their still bodies were covered up with tattered silks, unable to represent the honor of their deaths. He screamed in his young voice as they took them all away like some match set and he was forgotten. They marched with the efficiently of the soldiers of Aries into hell. Tears ran, the pain sharpened and that horrible beat beat increased in base.

_Beat, beat heartbeat_

A terrible flash of darkness swarmed the hot surroundings and his young head turned to the source; that beat growing louder, coming for him, to claim the last piece.

_I'M LOST…_

Raven shot out from her prone position, two lamps and a chair exploding around her. She gasped for breath and her heart pounded, threatening to escape her chest. She couldn't swallow, air and water stuck in her throat. When the air finally made it to her lungs it came in painful bursts, but she couldn't think about her pain, not now, not after this. Raven fazed through her bed and two stories, landing in the middle of Robin's bedroom. Raven scanned the room in a blind panic and was wracked with terror when she didn't find Robin. She fled the room by foot and ran through the hall, up a flight of stairs and through another corridor. Her heart hurt, her throat burned and night blindness was conquered by panic.

Raven ran solidly into Robin in the hallway near her bedroom. Robin's arms wrapped tightly around her waist in shock. The girl was shaking in the middle of an unbearably hot night. She collapsed against him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Robin froze. Here Raven was on the verge of crying and she was asking **him** if he was okay? Robin held the girl tightly. The shuddering stopped. It took Robin a moment to find that Raven had cried herself to sleep on his chest. He lifted the slack girl and carried her towards her room. He knew it was a gross invasion of privacy to let his curious eyes take in all they could as he entered, so he kept his eyes on Raven and let his instinct lead him to her bed. Robin laid the girl down in her divan and pulled the sheet to her waist. He moved the bunny from its place on her nightstand and tucked it under her sheet close to her body.

Something had scared her², something that she thought should scare him too. That night he crawled back into his bed and decided to give that more thought when he woke up the next morning.

With all the stumbling and flirting with Raven, Robin seemed to have forgotten something important. He's life for the last two and a half weeks, since the HIVE attack, had been hectic and a lot of things were muddled. But something, something important, had slipped his attention. It would drive him insane finding out just what that something was.

Robin woke up the next morning warm and safe. He felt like he was in a cocoon. A cocoon that had two arms, two legs and big purple eyes.

"Raven, what are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to make sure he didn't have any more nightmares." Raven said letting Robin pull himself from her lap. She remained cross legged, arms suddenly cold not holding the Boy Wonder to her body.

"Raven, you've calmed my nightmares before, but you never held me to do it."

"I, I wasn't sure if I could handle one so terrible by just being close. I had to touch you to make sure you didn't suffer anymore."

"But Raven, I didn't have a nightmare last night."

"What?"

"I hadn't even gone to bed yet when you ran into me last night. What you saw, didn't come from me."³

"But… a fight… a small boy… I could feel…"

"Raven, I didn't dream at all last night."

Raven froze in place, terribly unsure of herself. She ran a hand through her hair, shocked (but unjustifiably) that her hair was cascading over her shoulders. She pulled herself from the bed, and stood in the middle of Robin's floor, not so much as saying a good bye before unleashing her soul self and fleeing to the sanctuary of her room. She needed a hair cut, and she needed to think.

…

Beast Boy considered himself the luckiest man in the world. Yesterday, he had gotten an A on his math test. This morning, no one argued with him about breakfast (though the details behind that were unclear), he had run laps around Loberos in their daily runs and he had finally saved up (and by that he meant found enough loose change) to buy Super Mega Monkey's Five Platinum Edition. He placed his money into this pocket and headed for the tower entrance when the door slide open, announcing a guest had arrived. Beast Boy was slightly bummed at the idea of having to turn around and direct the guest to the common room, but after one look, when the sun no longer blocked his vision, Beast Boy decided it wasn't an inconvenience at all… It might be the best thing that happened to him that day.

She was standing there looking for all the world like an angel in brown leather. Beast Boy could tell from the slant of her eyes and the narrowness of her chin and brow that she was Asian, but the shape of her face and the height of her cheekbones gave her the distinct appearance of being an American. Her outfit was unusual, it was some sort of fighting jersey cut into two parts: a high collared brown leather shirt and a knee length caped-pant in matching material. She looked strong for her frame, but Beast Boy felt like she had made an effort to hide it. _That would explain the pony tails._

Beast Boy stood frozen even as the girl waved her hand in front of his face. He fell to pieces when she poked him. Aqualad would find the pile of Beast Boy and nearly collapse into a similar pile when he took notice to the guest. Before the girl could open her mouth, Aqualad melted to the floor. She scratched her head in confusion. _This is going nowhere and its taking a long time._

"Excuse me. Can either of you… piles of gentleman lead me to Robin?" She asked.

Aqualad and Beast Boy pulled themselves together. They turned to each other before wailing at the injustice. They turned their backs to her, rivers a tears running down their faces.

"It's not fair!" Aqualad cried.

"She's probably Speedy's girlfriend!"

The two collapsed against each other and continued to cry. Cyborg was the one to notice the visitor next. She stood with nothing in her hands, a duffle bag by her feet and something huge wrapped in parchment strapped against her back. The girl stepped over the sniveling boys and stepped in front of Cyborg.

"Excuse me. My name is Sakura Chloe. I am looking for my brother. Is he here?"

"Brother!" Aqualad and Beast Boy cried. "You said you were looking for Robin!"

"Yes."

"But! But? Robin doesn't…"

Said Titan entered the entrance hall, his ears had been burning for the last six minutes. After accounting for Starfire, Raven, Cyborg and Celine he had gone to find Beast Boy and Aqualad to shut at least one of them up. Robin froze where he was. He could see just a glimpse of her behind Cyborg's shoulder, standing as proud and as strong as she had so very long ago.

_Dear Brother, it has been a very long time since we have last spoken, but the times as they are call for us to stand before each other again. I will be arriving soon as I can, long after you receiving this letter. I look forward to seeing you, until then, be very careful, the winds are changing again._ ⁴

Cyborg stepped out of the way and let Sakura and Robin meet eye to eye in what would be the first time in five years. Her brown eyes met his and in that moment the unease he had been feeling for nearly three weeks was erased. He knew what he had forgotten, what had been teasing his mind, filling it and shrinking away. The letter… how could he have forgotten?

"Sakura…"

"Dear Brother."

Robin ran to her and grabbed the taller girl around the shoulders. It was then that Starfire and Raven entered the entrance hall; Starfire concerned with the "invisible damage to Robin's ears"; and Raven, unable to stand the warm sensation she had been feeling as she meditated, had followed Starfire, mildly curious about what Starfire meant. Their faces' blushed a flaming red, so bright it put Star's hair to shame, as Robin bent his head slightly to let the other woman kiss his forehead.

"Robin!" Starfire screamed.

Raven might have screamed as well if she hadn't seen the girl's face. She remembered her, but knew she had never seen the girl before. But her image was looping in her mind, even after mediating for so many hours after last night. Raven recognized her, the formlessness replaced with grace and beauty, it was the girl from the dream; Robin's dream…

_No, Robin's memory._

End of Part One.

A/N

¹ I know, I know. Cyborg doesn't sleep, he recharges. But how unromantic is that?

²This is an evolution of Raven and Robin's bond. Raven wasn't seeing Robin's dream, she was seeing something buried deep in his memory.

³ I know it seems that every chapter I'm taking their relationship two steps forward and three steps back, but that's the build up for a character dynamic. The relationship will finally bloom in coming chapters.

⁴That's the translated letter from Chapter Two.


	7. Raven Haired Sakura Part Two

The Raven Haired Sakura

Part Two

A/N

This chapter is dedicated to The Goth Witch.

…

Celine's frustration at her failed prototype didn't last long. She sat Indian style in the floor of her control panel; a newly created, and newly deemed fruitless, device sat in front of her. She sighed and removed a mini screw driver from her kit and began dismantling the machine.

It had never taken her three weeks to do anything outside of being potty trained, but that had more to do with defiance than inability. She wanted to say that it was because leads on Blood were getting hot and that Bumble Bee would be returning in a day or so that she was just too distracted to employ her absolute genius on this project.

But if she was going to be honest with herself, she just didn't have a clue on how to make this work out. Reverse Engineering just didn't make sense to her. The concepts were so bizarre, so foreign and so mathematically impossible, that Celine almost believed that she couldn't learn it. But she couldn't quit, she didn't think she could bear to. Not just because the shame of defeat was the only excess she carried with her, but because she didn't think she'd be able to tell Beast Boy that she couldn't help. The little green sprite had become very close to her heart over the weeks. She thought he was funny, no matter what Raven said, and a nice guy like Beast Boy wasn't going to finish last… if she had anything to say about it. Celine continued to take apart the Preparation E of her Reverse Petrifaction Device.

Celine stayed in Terra's room even after the guest room¹ had been prepared. She could have taken Bumble Bee's spare room also, but she didn't want to go. She had hoped being in the place where Beast Boy felt the most calm about Terra would provide her with some sort of inspiration. Instead, her nights remained restless and Cyborg had been spending less and less time there.

Celine pulled off her scouter and paused a minute. Her red hair fell over her shoulder as her breath quaked. She picked up her mini tools and finished disassembly of Preparation E. _Celine, girl, what have you gotten yourself into?_

…

"Wait a minute! If Sakura is Japanese, then that means Robin is too!" Beast Boy yelled over the table. The group sat at the round table, hurling questions and answers in various directions, some times no where at all.

Robin shrugged. "Couldn't you tell by the awesome hair?"²

"Actually, I'm half Japanese-half American and half related to Robin. We have the same mother."

Beast Boy still could not get over his shock. It had been nearly an hour since Robin brought Sakura into the common room, where the rest of the Titans gathered around the girl and threw out questions immediately. She had told them for the last few years had been studying at a temple in China, then living with her father in Gotham. Noting Robin's desire for maintaining secrecy about his past, the dark haired girl dodged any questions about him as a child or their family or what exactly Robin had been doing before he became a Titan. She did tell them that she was a master martial artist and acrobat, which no one doubted seeing as she shared chromosomes with the Boy Wonder. Beast Boy asked about the giant parchment covered thing that Sakura had strapped to her back. She gave a crocked smile and told him she hoped he'd never have to find out. The questions returned to her fighting style and she admitted to preferring Xing Yi based Kung Fu, which immediately sparked the question of was she better than Robin. Sakura smirked and so did Robin. It seemed that both of them were up for the challenge.

Beast Boy pointed a finger at Robin over the table.

"Dude! I didn't know you could even have a sister, but she's not a masked vigilante!"

Sakura leaned over to Raven, holding a hand up to block the sight of her lips moving. "He's like this all the time isn't he?"

"No… this is Beast Boy extreme."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Do you all do extreme here?"

"No… my extreme is Armageddon³."

Sakura righted herself. Raven turned to Beast Boy. "Could you please calm down?"

Beast Boy immediately turned his attention back to Robin. "I didn't know you had a sister! I didn't even know you had parents! I thou-" Beast Boy's chair broke beneath him. Under the table he rubbed his head sourly. There he caught a glimpse of the dark energy retreating. "Raven! What was that for?"

"HUSH!"

Beast Boy frowned before his head swelled ten times its normal size. "You knew all this time didn't you? You knew about Robin and you never told us! We've been dying to at least know something about him! Your little trip into his head told you something you could have told us!"

"It doesn't work that way Beast Boy. I didn't read through his life like a script. I only saw some things but they were jumbled images and **I didn't pry**."

Beast Boy pouted. "But this is huge! Robin has a sister! And she's beautiful! What is this? A slew of beautiful girls are entering our lives? How did we get so lucky?"

Robin turned to Beast Boy as if he had just said the most unintelligent thing he'd heard all day. "You've seen Raven and Starfire, did you think that that the girls would stop coming?"

A blush ran up Raven's whole body, while Starfire smiled sweetly. In the distance a distinct explosion was heard. The group turned to Raven. "It wasn't me!"

"No… it was me."

The Titans turned their surprised heads to the communications screen. Celine's fingers flew over her control board. A few flips of switches then Slade's image came in loud and clear.

The Titans leapt from their chairs and turned to face the monitor.

"Hello Titans… I must say, you have changed quite a bit since I saw you last… Look at the new faces, pretty faces… New friends for me to break? Robin? Raven?"

Robin growled and stepped forward as Sakura reached underneath the table for her parchment covered package.

Another rumble rocked the tower. The Titans looked around as Celine's scans hummed and whorled at her control panel. Monitors were shifting around Slade's image, angles of the Titans' base came into clear view.

"Bombs. He's trying to blow his way in."

"Bombs again! Dude! I'm starting to take this personal! Would all the bad guys please stop blowing up our home?"

"Don't worry guys. Slade can't get in the tower, not with the defenses up."

"Celine, don't for a moment think you know anything about what Slade can do."

"That is very good advice Robin. You were always the smart one."

"Robin…"

Slade's profile took over the entire monitor, one eye holding the intelligence that made him so dangerous.

"I must admit that your new defensive system is quite impressive. I hadn't encountered design this well crafted in years."

"You've never encountered design this flawless." Celine shouted, red scouter throwing figures across her eye.

"Confident in our skills are we? So am I. We can do this one of two ways Titans, and because I so enjoy the idea of you choosing your own doom, I'm going to let you pick. Deliver her to me or let me take her."

Robin didn't say a word, he put himself in front of Raven, Starfire and Cyborg did the same.

"We aren't going to be lured out Slade."

Slade laughed as he spoke. "Robin, you misunderstand. I'm not trying to force you out… I'm forcing my way in. That was always the plan: meeting you face to face, in your home, close to where you sleep at night… and in the darkness, take her away. Raven has a world of work ahead of her." Slade paused and looked into the monitor, his eye trained perfectly on where Raven was standing. "I did promise to come back. Why so surprised dear girl?"

"What do you want with her?" Sakura demanded.

"It isn't about what I want. Not really. Its about what she must do… we must all do our part in the end of the world."

"You can't have her! She isn't yours to take! She doesn't belong to you or Trigon and I won't let you use her like some soulless puppet!"

Slade's image pulled back and behind him his drone army marched, strapped in black. Their sensors targeted on the tower. The drones seemed unable to press forward.

"You don't scare us Slade. You can huff and puff…" Beast Boy taunted. Above his head, a breached security banner flashed. Beast Boy deadpanned. "And knock a hole through the tower with bombs."

Celine's fingers flew over her control pad bringing up a diagram of the breached sector. It wasn't at the base of the tower. It was from the roof.

"Titans! Drones have leaked in from the roof top. They're spreading fast. Take them down. Raven, stay here with me. This room is the best guarded."

"But I can…"

"Raven, Omicron is right. This is where we can keep you safe. Cyborg. Beast Boy. Star. Sakura. Stop the droids and don't let them in this room. Aqualad, come with me."

"Robin! Wait!" Raven called. Robin turned back to the dark sorceress. "Don't worry Raven. Slade isn't going to get another step closer. I promise."

Raven watched the others run out the room. Sakura paused at the door, readying her parchment package, which Raven decided had to be a weapon. The door slide closed giving Raven a glimpse of Sakura taking off down the hall. Raven turned a worried eye to Celine.

"Don't worry Raven. I have faith in the team and so do you."

Outside the door, Beast Boy swung his massive gorilla paws, hurling a drone into the floor. His roar echoed up the hall and past Cyborg as he blasted a path to the roof. The explosions had stopped below them. Either the bombs were done or the worst was yet to come. Knowing Robin and Aqualad were running in that direction made him hope that it was the former.

Sakura scanned the roof top in the middle of the melee. She had followed behind Cyborg knowing he was going to the source. Beast Boy had pulverized the few drones that made it deep into Titans' tower. Beast Boy lapped her in his wolf form, knowing too that the real fight would be on the roof. She counted quickly, accurately before pulling her unveiled weapon in front of her. She tore away the parchment and exposed to the night air a weapon that made Cyborg and Beast Boy's faces vault.

"A giant boomerang?"⁴

Sakura pulled her weapon back, cutting through the night air like a razor across a wire. One sharp flick of her wrist and an expert throw hurled her boomerang through the air at lightning fast speed. It turned and pivoted, flying at the drones with deadly accuracy. The first swoop took out half of the drones and the return finished the job. The huge weapon returned to Sakura's hand, the excess energy slamming itself into the roof of the tower making a considerable dent.

"That might have been the coolest thing I've ever seen." Beast Boy admitted.

At the base of the tower Aqualad realized his role in accompanying Robin. Robin was going to fight Slade and Aqualad was the insurance that nothing interfered. If a single drone moves a half-step, Aqualad would throw the sea and clear them all away. He'd only do it if necessary. Manipulating large bodies of water exhausted him and he wanted to make sure that he'd only have to do it once. Another swarm of drones would be too much for him.

The door slide open. Raven and Celine turned sharply. Raven's dark energy encircled her hands. On the floor, a half demolished drone clawed its way towards the girls. Celine swung from her seat, the Fire Fly clutched on her shoulder. Energy began flowing through the thrusters and ran into the giant cannon. Celine finds the drone in her sights. "You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?" The drone didn't get the chance to react. Her high-heeled boot dug into the carpet as she squeezed the trigger. The whorls of energy collected and in one powerful thrust escaped the barrel and tore through the air before ripping through the drone fraction. Celine smirked at her handiwork. "Sometimes it's hard being this good." Raven said nothing and turned back to the monitors, knowing any second Robin would be encountering Slade.

Slade seemed to be waiting for Robin. He hadn't moved an inch. That was why it was so easy to find him. The drones parted like the holy waters as his stride brought him to Slade's side. The man turned to him and waited for him to speak.

"Their defenses are down… will you not go and take the gem?"

Slade shook his head at his companion. "She isn't ready yet… when the time is right; I'll send her an engraved invitation."

"Then why are we here?"

"I like keeping Robin on his toes."

Just as the door to the tower opened and Robin poured himself out of it, bird-a-rangs clashed together in their long blade state⁵. Slade didn't turn him an eye as he and his army turned its back to the Boy Wonder and vanished like a haunt in the night.

Robin gritted his teeth. _He was playing with us… And we fell for it again…_ He sighed hard and returned to the tower, his bones ready to collapse whether he admitted it or not. The other Titans were feeling a similar weariness and they separated with only Star managing to mean her wishes for pleasant dreams. No one else wished the chance of dreams on the other.

Against her better judgment, Celine had entrusted Beast Boy to scan the spare bedroom for any left over surprises. He mashed the device against his fist before pointing it to the door.

"Celine's scanny thing says your room is all clear. The drones didn't do anything bad to it. You can get some sleep."

"Umm… thanks Beast Boy, I guess I'll put my stuff away before I…" Sakura's sentence was cut off when a boom resonated from her room, blowing the door from its hinges. The wind from the blast pulled her pony tails and her cape to the right. Beast Boy's eyes widened in surprise: pupils blank and ridiculous. Sakura scowled and turned to Beast Boy who tapped Celine's "scanny thing" against his hand innocently.

"Must be busted."

Beast Boy laughed nervously. Sakura sweat dropped. Celine and Cyborg came running down the corridor.

"We heard an explosion." Cyborg said, before turning and seeing exactly what the damage had done.

"Beast Boy!" Celine yelled. "I thought you said you knew how to run the scanner!" Celine took the device and turned it on, then pointed it at the room. Sure enough, a bomb had gone off in there.

"I thought I did too. Looks like Sakura will need another place to stay."

Celine thought for a moment and didn't even turn an eye to Cyborg before saying "Well, she can stay with me. Sakura, how do you feel about sleep?"

Sakura's eyebrows rose at the question. "Um… pro?"⁶

Celine laughed. "I meant are you a light sleeper? I run on about three hours, is my being up all night going to bother me?"

Sakura shook her head. Celine grabbed Sakura's bag. "I'll help you move your things."

"First, I'd like to talk to my brother. Which way is his room?"

…

In the center of his room, Robin stood perfectly still. Every time Slade made a move, they were drawn closer and closer to the center of a web that they didn't understand. They all wanted to protect Raven; they all wanted to stop Slade. The two switched back and forth in Robin's mind, but they had been at the top of his priorities long before Trigon was revealed.

Those years ago when Raven had come to Gotham, she was looking for help. It was probably Trigon she feared all along, but never said a word of it. She had come to Gotham looking for Batman, but was willing to take his charge instead. Robin had accepted without hesitation. He had known it was his time to leave, he was ready to forget about the dark life he had, in the shadow of Batman and the past that he couldn't escape… not while in Gotham.

Robin sighed. He had run so hard, but it still followed him, caught up to him and played games with that only delicate place in his life: his heart.

Sakura's entrance played over and over in Robin's head.

She was standing, breathing, living in front of him as if the past hadn't happened. When he walked away from Gotham all those years ago, he left her and his past as well. From his memories she shouldn't be standing, acting a hero and helping to protect Raven from a danger she didn't know about… but that was how they were raised.

_It was what mother and father wanted for us… to be strong, to be brave… to be happy…_ They only lived to see the last one… his childhood, for the most part, had been very happy.

The knock on his door startled him.

"Raven?"

"Is raven haired good enough?" Sakura entered the room, the sliding door falling closed behind her. Sakura waited for Robin to move, but he didn't. He looked at her as if he was relearning her… it had been so long ago when she last **stood **in front of him… But it almost felt the same. He was the little brother; looking up to his sister and she smiled down at him, waiting to give him the best that she's got.

"Take off your mask."

"No."

"You don't have a secret identity from me. I already know who you are."

Robin didn't say anything. He wasn't disagreeing, but wasn't sure if he believed that she was totally correct.

Sakura's voice changed, shifting into a language she hadn't used in a long time. "Naze wa shinjitsu o tsugeremashitaka?" (Why have you not told them the truth?)⁷

Robin slipped into his birth language without thought. "Watashi wa usoki janai." (I haven't lied to them.)⁸

"Anata wa senaka no nigiru. Karera wa tomodachi desu ne? Anata wa chuui o takusan desu. Naze wa shinrai nai desu." (You're holding it back. They are your friends; I can tell you care for them very much. Why do you not trust them?)

Robin stared at the girl for a moment. He reached to his mask and slowly peeled it from his face. He sighed, turning his eyes away from her. He collected his thoughts and turned to her. His eyes met hers: fear and something like relief swirling in his irises. Sakura wanted to smile, she remembered those eyes. Still to this day she wished that she too had eyes like their mother. Robin's deepened voice reminded her that there was something wrong.

"Ano nai... Etowa, dareka ga kyokanai izenni te seinei desu." (That isn't it... if I admit to anyone else what my life was before them... I'll have to accept it as the truth.)

"Keno-"

Robin turned a panicked eye to his sister. "Don't!"

Sakura paused and seemed to think a bit about the consequences of her next words. "Your charade won't turn time back. What happened… happened and will always be what happened."

Robin's body shook at her admission. He knew she was right… but, he couldn't…

"I can't… It's so much easier to run."

"Even from the good memories?" Sakura asked.

For all the world Robin's beautiful eyes looked like they would shatter from the sadness in his heart. He turned to face the mirror. Sakura and Robin stood silent for a moment. Sakura prepared to leave when in a scared voice, that she hadn't remembered Robin ever possessing, whispered his answer. "They only remind me of the tragedies…"

…

_Azarath! Azarath! Azarath!_

The sweat was killing her. Even with her hair short and her hood pulled away from her face, the heat was brutal. Raven sat in the center of her floor, throwing salts and powders into a blue flame candle. She needed to get away, if only for a short time. She needed to go home, with Trigon and Slade so close, she needed help. Raven chanted and shifted her life force, sliding into her soul self. She had to make one more attempt at the gate.

It was like flying, but it didn't require much control. This was her soul moving to where it desperately wanted to be. The Azar had to know, had to look past the absoluteness of the prophecy and give her one ray of hope that this wasn't the end.

The deep wings of Raven's soul arched and spread at the gate of Azarath. "Please, let me in! Please! Don't deny me… I need help!" The gate pulsed and vibrated, shaking energy waves into the space between Raven and her chance to get home. The gate had rejected her and like last time, when she had tried to desperately get back to Azarath when her friends were stumbling on the secrets of her pedigree, the gate was not going to let her in.⁹ "No! Help me! Please! Show me how to stop this!"

The void around her flexed and took to life. A pair of demonic creatures, both with her body but no face, extended their hands from beneath a white and a red robe. Like a spider web, sharp blue energy waves seeped from their fingers. The sharp black wings could not throw off the enslaving blue ribbons. The universe caved in on Raven, the ties of time and fate¹⁰ holding her there. She couldn't escape. The stars and the echoes of history were not going to let her break away from the world's doom. She couldn't run from herself… there was no where for her to go.

Raven's body slumped over to her floor. The blue candle shattered, the fire dimmed out as the girl passed into an uneasy sleep.

End of Part Two

¹ You would think the Tower would have more than one extra bedroom.

²I know, I know. Hair gel is Robin's best friend.

³ This is one of my favorite lines from Titans fanfiction. Feint14 you're brilliant.

⁴ A hiraikotsu, like Sango has in Inuyasha.

⁵Robin's creativeness is amazing. Who else could make two bird-a-rangs into a sword? Honestly, Robin is sick with it.

⁶My roommate freshman year asked me that same question… that was my answer.

⁷ A HUGE thanks to the Goth Witch for translating for me! I adore you!

⁸ For the scholars amongst us, the translations aren't exact. But there is enough correlation that reading either way will provide the important times.

⁹I didn't really like how Azarath looked, so I'm going to pretend that she never made it there so I can change its appearance.

¹⁰I used a thesaurus to look up another word for fate. One of the choices was 'doom'.


	8. Raven Haired Sakura Part Three

Raven Haired Sakura

Part Three

Another thanks to The Goth Witch for translations. Keep in mind that most of the time during this section people are speaking Japanese. But since I know very little, I'll be typing their dialog in English. I'll emphasize important points in Japanese, but will be translated immediately following. You're smart kids, you'll figure it out.

…

The earth was just beginning to cool under his feet when they started to get ready to leave. The winds had picked up, ruffling banners and tossing the fabrics the women were folding. Ueno turned and faced the sun, watching the tents and his partners work out of the corner of his eye.

He loved China. The sandy wind pulled through his hair and the ground beneath him always responded to every misstep. He had watched his children play enough along the boundaries of their camp to know that that the earth would hold their foot prints and tumbling hand prints for years and years to come. The earth would remember them… long after they were gone.

The sun didn't look like it was ready to rise. The dark blue was terribly uneager to disappear into golds and whites. The sky seemed to disagree with the morning. Ueno had left his tent early that morning, careful not to wake his family. The wind brushed him as he basked in what would be a hot morning, when the sun wasn't showing its weak side.

His gently slanted eyes had observed his family as one by one they pulled themselves from sleep. Dear Brother had come first, rolling on his hands and marking the earth with the line of his back. The boy seemed to sing in the sunlight, he was so natural in it. It was his act and if flowed from him like the whistle of rolling water.

It had surprised Ueno how well the people of China had opened up to him and his band. They were a group of Japanese performers going through the country side taking business from Chinese performers, but they were good at it so the spectators didn't seem to mind. He was glad that his wife and his children and their band had fit in as well as they did, if they hadn't, their mission would have been much more difficult.

It was quite the elaborate act: each member of their team pulled a different string to make the marionette dance. His wife's grace made her a dancer that any man would stop to watch. It didn't hurt that she was beautiful. His son had inherited her fair frame but his father's strength and proved to be the best acrobat of the team, even at the tender age of nine. The boy seemed to spend more of his time tumbling than walking.

But now, his son stood beside him, sinking his toes into the earth. Sakuja and Asuka pulled the tent down and said nothing of the absence of the men helping. Sakuja's back was a strong as any man's, though the girl was barely eleven. True balance, coming too from her mother, was the key to her martial arts. Every night some foolish man would take Sakuja's challenge for a fight. The girl never lost, never took it easy on anyone who stood to her, thinking they could take her down. Her kung fu made her valuable, her pretty face made her deadly.

Sakuja's form and Dear Brother's grace came from Asuka, the woman Ueno had loved and married and sired with. Asuka's dance made men's tongues slide from their mouth and secrets fall from their pockets. Had Asuka not been such a strong woman, he would have felt bad about they way she was used.

By day, Ueno was the patriarch of his traveling band. His banner weaved against the heavens every night and day, prouder than most Gods would have allowed: A white topped summit; a hopping robin perched with its wings spread; the wind hustled across its shoulders and in its wing; and a cherry blossom in its talon. He was the summit; Asuka the wind, Sakuja held her name and Dear Brother was the image of the Matsuhiro family crest. His family, his morning glory, flew above the heads of all the men who served him, above all the men who would give their lives for him… when the time came.

The guise lasted much longer than they needed it to. No one seemed to question the traveling band's story: being forced from their home Japan because they could not please an emperor with their skills. The people of the eastern coast were all too willing to believe that the emperor could be satisfied with nothing less than their bodies. They had fled to China and marched up the coast, inward enough to hear stories and break bread, but far away enough that the people in the village did not speak of those who came to their land to steal their secrets¹. Their weapons stayed well hidden, their armors always packed away tightly and their mission was across their minds, where no one else could see.

His band consisted of nine. Of them, Feng Law, was the man he trusted most. Feng Law would be the one who told Dear Brother the truth, if their mission was not successful. If their mission failed, he was sure that only Feng Law would survive.

Matsuhiro Ueno was sent from his homeland in pursuit of No-al. No-al was a hunt so devious, so destructive and powerful that it would have taken a million men and a thousand years for most agents to find and assault him: it had taken Ueno twelve years and six men to start.

A woman's voice drove Ueno and Dear Brother from their hold on the land. Ueno turned to his son, the boy was already running to Sakuja's side. Ueno couldn't tell if he was truly making the right decision… if he could leave Dear Brother behind.

Sakuja rolled the last of the tent material and tied it back, shaking her pony tails before facing Dear Brother.

"Onii-kun. Otou-san wa kotoba oboeru desuka." (Dear Brother, do you remember what father told us?)

"Itsumo tatsu." (Always stand.)

Sakuja patted the younger boy's hair before the pair turned to their mother. Asuka nodded and the group began the final treks to the caves of Ledona. The band marched silently. By the end of the night some of them would be dead. Dear Brother would see death for the first time, but whose face he'd see couldn't be known. Sakuja watched her Dear Brother run ahead and begin his tumbles, practicing his art as often as she did. Her Xing Yi² could not fail her tonight: if her elbows crumbled, if her bones failed for a moment, if her wrists could not take the charge of her hiraikotsu if only for that instance, she would be dead. At eleven she knew what would become of her if she let the mistakes of childhood claim her. The end of her life did not scare her as much as what it would mean for Dear Brother.

The camp forded through sand and earth like an army of thousands rather than nine. For every year of his life, there was a person Dear Brother held in memory. Father, mother, sister, Feng Law, Masa, Seiko, Fujimi, Aoshi and Kenosuke on his smallest finger. Mother had held him in her arms late into the night last night, explaining to him what the next day meant. Sakuja sat, as brave as she could, watching Dear Brother as if memorizing his face. Father turned his weapon in his hand, flexing his skill. He was like some god, draped in vibrant armor; scars from battle marred his face. The night they were heading to would scar his heart.

That night seemed to last a much longer time than the few hours. The room was darkened and a husband held his wife and two siblings curled into the shape of the other. Dear Brother turned in his sleep and pulled his forehead from Sakuja's lips, the girl turned to her side as well. Had she been awake, she would have cried.

The cave of Ledona came into view earlier than they had planned. All the men stopped and witnessed the place that would be graves for some of them. For all their skills, for their hearts and brotherhood… their bodies could be crushed, and some would be, at the hands of No-al.

They did not set a fire; they barely thought to unroll their packs. They put up one tent to stand, a place for Dear Brother to wait. They slipped into their armor in total silence. No man looked at a woman and the women could not turn their eyes from the sashes that held their guards. A swallow was sharpened, a spear grabbed and a hiraikotsu was clutched in fingers so tight that blood ran from half moon shaped scars. Dear Brother refused to see the fear in the eyes of his family. He had lived amongst these men his entire life. They had waved colored bands at him, giving him a goal to reach for as he stumbled the path to walking. They had pointed out children from the villages for him to play with, they had taught him to speak and fight and be a man. How many times had Aoshi saved him from drowning? How often did Masa share his wine with him and how often had Seiko covered up the evidence when he vomited? These men were his brothers, and he was the youngest of them, the one dearest to their hearts.

At first he had resented the handle and demanded they called him by his name. But when his mother did, he sometimes forgot to respond to it. Dear Brother sat and waited. Soon they started to file, one by one by one. Sakuja fell in line with Aoshi and Feng Law, weak as glass and willing to fight even as the fear clutched her. Dear Brother had been told to stand back, to watch them walk away. But he couldn't. It never occurred to him that this might be the last time he'd see these men.

His father stood in front and his mother beside him, ready to fight together like some heroic Paris and Helen of Troy. "Otou! Okaa!" Dear Brother called and ran to his parents. "Father. Mother."

Asuka dropped to her knees and looked into the eyes of her son. It was like a mirror almost, the same colors, the same shape, everything about the boy reminded her of herself. Asuka smiled at her son even as he remained stone faced. Ueno kept perfectly still, his voice barked like the hounds of hell.

"Itsumo tatsu!" (Always stand.)

Asuka rose, her fingers gently sweeping over her son's face. Dear Brother stared at her, wanting an explanation. He had felt her, writing something with just a touch against his cheek. _How could I forget to fly?³_

They marched away from Dear Brother, no man brave enough to give him one last look. They could not afford to lose their resolve. Dear Brother watched them until they disappeared into the cave of Ledona. And he waited. Memories of his family flew over his eyes like the wings of that great bird in the Matsuhiro crest.

Dear Brother knew he shouldn't have gone inside, they had told him to wait. But the moment he thought about the crest, he knew he couldn't stay behind. Inside that cave, they were fighting incomplete. There were four people standing together on that crest, but inside that cave, there was only three. His blood was in there and he would be no brother to them, if he didn't fight.

Dear Brother found a spare spear and tied guards around his shin and arms. The chest guards were too large; he strapped a leg guard flat against his breast and tied it as tight as he could manage. He was going in, unprepared and under armored, but he was going in.

He would carry with him forever the mistake he had made. In his nightmares Dear Brother would remember the bodies, the blood that flowed like rivers from the wounds in Fujumi's back.

He would find that his biggest nightmare would come from the shadows running against the walls. He had lost the path, the footprints were scattered at a cliff, they had all taken off into a run. Each step, in its own design, seemed to lead deeper into the cave. And that was where Dear Brother went. Along a jagged path, the ground beneath him opened up and dropped him some twenty feet below. He rolled, tucking his body against itself to protect his head from the rocks below. His body finally slowed down and he found himself as deep into the cave as he could go. He had found the shadows of the fight with No-al. Dear Brother heard the sound of the hiraikotsu whipping through the air. The shadow of the thing wrapped around the walls. Dear Brother couldn't seem to find a safe path and was forced to watch the walls as the battle against No-al raged on.

He heard yells. He heard Feng Law's bangled armor shake and wave. And he heard Sakuja cry out and the hiraikotsu skidding off the ground. He could hear the swing of his father's spear and the double edged swallow that his mother parried with. But he heard absolutely no sound from No-al and that scared him more than anything.

Dear Brother heard a yell and in that moment turned his head upwards and saw them, both of them falling from the cliff like rocks towards the ocean. Their arms did not flail, they did not call out in fear, their eyes did not see the end of their fall. Dear Brother watched, the shadows blocking their features, but the silhouettes would forever stay with him⁴.

The slight boy crawled to where their bodies landed. He didn't want to look. He didn't want to know which names were being added to his prayers. "Otou… Okaa…" A scream erupted over head. Dear Brother could barely see from his tear blurred vision, but he made his way to the cliff base and began to climb. Sakuja had screamed. She was hurt. Dear Brother didn't know what he could do, but he would do something. His fingers clawed into the dirt, ripping tiny vines away from the soil. His feet sunk in tightly to the jagged steps the wall presented. It was seven story climb to the top. Dear Brother would make it to the fourth when his footing collapsed and he tumbled back towards the death shrine of the summit and the wind.

…

Dear Brother woke up, sitting on blankets yards away from any place he wanted to see. His eyes hurt, but it was not difficult to see. Aoshi and Masa were alive, carrying two others that weren't. Those bodies were laid down beside Fujumi's in a line of great men. Dear Brother stumbled to his feet. Aoshi and Masa raised a funeral blanket to cover them.

"Yamero!"(Stop!) Dear Brother screamed as he ran towards them. They didn't listen. Masa pulled the last few inches of deep maroon cloth over Matsuhiro Asuka, Matsuhiro Ueno and Sato Fujumi. Dear Brother trembled as the cloth lay perfectly still. _They aren't breathing…they aren't…_

Feng Law was the last to exit the cave. He saw Dear Brother, shaking as the life he knew fell apart around him. His halo of reality was tarnished now and what Feng Law would tell him would not make things better.

"Kenosuke ikuzo" (Let's go.)

Dear Brother's eyes widened at Feng Law's statement. He turned to scream, to throw rocks, to ball is fists into his chest, but instead he froze and saw what Feng Law knew already. Cradled in his arms, was a precious charge… her face was slack, but pain was evident in the tenseness of her upper body. Her hair was frenzied, her eyes closed, cheeks bloody and bruised… and she was breathing.

"Sakuja… Is she?"

Feng Law looked over the young boy. Aoshi and Masa sat on their knees waiting their commands. "Make a funeral fire. Kenosuke ikuzo." Feng Law marched slowly, holding Sakuja in his arms as her brother followed behind them. Feng Law laid Sakuja on the only blanket the last of the Matsuhiro's had thought to lay out. Feng Law's battered chest quaked with his breath. He would have to wait until Sakuja woke up to tell them the truth.

Six days past. The boy they used to call Dear Brother sat still for six days waiting for Sakuja to wake up. At the end of the first day, the funeral fire blazed across the sky like a ribbon. The nine year old legacy of the Matsuhiro family had watched from the door of the tent; his parents' ashes flew into the wind, dancing with as much grace as their bodies had in life. In the back of his mind, he recalled the cave of Ledona hiding itself again behind the funeral flames. The cave sunk and shrank away from his sight, taking with it the beast he would kill if the cave ever resurfaced. No-al had escaped, Feng Law had told him. Why No-al had fled Feng Law did not know.

Feng Law told him what happened. How No-al's power had grown. How Sakuja's back had been crushed in a moment of weakness and how Matsuhiro Ueno and Matsuhiro Asuka had fallen before No-al. The nine year old boy did not need to be told of what had become of his parents.

On the seventh day, Sakuja woke up. Her brown eyes were unfocused and her throat hoarse as she begged for water. She coughed violently and turned a frightened eye to her younger brother when she realized she couldn't account for her legs. She stared down at her body and found they were still there. _What… what has happened?_ Her fingers crept across her spine and she remembered in moment of clarity: her parents, No-al, her stupid rage, an elbow crashing into her spine. No-al had broken her with a single blow.

Sakuja was propped up with her brother's support, her long hair waving down her back, her bed robes clutched to her chest when Feng Law began to tell them the truth.

"Fifteen years ago, Matsuhiro Ueno, came to me and asked my help. He told me that he was looking for No-al and knew that I had history with him. I told him, even with my help, No-al was not a man that he could defeat."

Sakuja's throat tightened. Flashes of that night, No-al's hideous mask haunted her. Her brother waited, perfectly still.

"He told me that he would gather his best men and I told him his best would not be good enough, but I picked up my sword and I went with him. We had been traveling through China for nearly four years, when another specialist, a woman fighter who had been living in America, joined us."

"A woman fighter?"

"Her name was Suzuki Asuka. And with her she brought a five month old baby girl."

"Mother?"

"Sakuja?"

Feng Law turned his head for a moment and wondered if he had to tell them everything. He did… he had made a promise to a very good man.

"Ueno and Asuka fell in love and wed before having their first child toge-"

"Masaka!" (Impossible!) His young lungs pinched with his fury. His face was unable to hide his rage. His fingers sunk into Sakuja's bed robe. The older girl refused to feel the pain. She swallowed and waited. How much more of her life could be broken in such a short time? Her body, her parents and now her history? She waited, while her brother raged behind her.

Feng Law raised a hand to silence the boy and he did, though he refused to face his guardian. "If we had never found No-al, we would have never told you. But Ueno made me promise to erase Matsuhiro Sakuja. I am to take you to your father, who will raise you as he sees fit."

"No! You can't take her away."

"I will go." Sakuja whispered. Her brother stood frozen, hands turned to ice against her body. He could say nothing. "I will go, if I can bring Dear Brother with me."

It was the first time he had heard that name in the weeks since the fight against No-al. Aoshi or Seiko had often almost called him Dear Brother but caught themselves. The remaining camp felt the same sense of disunion and no one dared to remind themselves that they had once been three and a half men stronger.

"I have contacted your father and he is prepared to take in your brother as well. He only asks that I tell you the name he had given you with your mother before she brought you here."

"Yes."

"To him… you are Sakura Chloe Wayne."

End of Part Three

¹ I really couldn't think of a better way to say that Ueno's band tried to gain information without being noticed.

² For anyone who is curious, Xing Yi is a fighting style that Julia Chang/Wang Jinrey use in Tekken 5.

³ Asuka told Dear Brother "Don't forget to fly".

⁴ I REALLY liked how Robin's background was shown in Haunted. I wanted to keep the image as close to that as possible.

Five points to anyone who caught where I threw in Robin's real name.


	9. Raven Haired Sakura Part Four

Raven Haired Sakura

Part Four

It was the first plane ride the pair had ever taken.¹ They had never seen the land from so high before, the peaks of mountains could not compare to the breadth of the view. Sakura was propped in a special bed that raised her to a seated position. To her, the world looked beautiful, but she couldn't look for long before she felt sick to her stomach. Her restless brother refused to look. He tumbled down the isle of the small jet. The one stewardess gave up on calming him down hours ago. The flight from Beijing to Gotham was a long one and she hadn't the energy to waste on the flexible boy.

Gotham was a large city, naturally dark but the night lights was what made Dear Brother believe that the city was dangerous. Dark things lived in dark places and no place was darker than just out of the range of bright light.

Wayne Manner was terribly empty for all its room. Alfred brought them to the formal room, pushing Sakura's wheel chair at a pace much too slow for Dear Brother's taste. He wanted to meet this Bruce Wayne. He wanted to look at the man who had taken something from his sister by never knowing her.

Bruce Wayne turned out to be an imposing figure. His suit was immaculate, his posture perfect, his stride confident. But it seemed to be an act to Dear Brother. Sakura memorized every inch of Bruce Wayne, the closer he came the more apparent which features were his: features in her face that she never realized were unaccounted for. His cheeks, his nose… when he was only inches from his face she realized, that her eyes were accounted for as well.

"I am Bruce Wayne. You must be Sakura." The siblings were surprised by his perfect Japanese. Bruce held out a hand for the girl and she took it, her smaller digits dwarfed comfortably in his. "I apologize for not seeing you before. Your mother was a very good woman. I loved her very much." Sakura nodded unsure of what to say. Her father continued. "I've arranged rooms for you and your brother to stay."

"I'm staying with Sakuja!" The young boy demanded. Bruce looked over to him with some mixture of regard and curiosity that Dear Brother decided he didn't like. "Your rooms are across the hall from each other. I think it would be best to allow you both room. This change will be difficult at first, but transition with uncertainty almost always is."

The younger boy said nothing as Alfred led him and Sakura to their rooms. Bruce watched them go before turning back to his business. Gotham still needed policing.

Sakura Chloe Wayne spent most of her time in her bed, looking out the window. She could watch the people come and go from Wayne Manor, though it seemed that her father liked to keep to himself. She had spent a few days with him. He was honest with Sakura; his time with Asuka Suzumi had been brief, only lasting three quarters of a year. She had come to Gotham as a special operative from her syndicate and met Bruce at a function. Bruce and Asuka had dated in private; it seemed to Sakura that everything about him was in private. He told her she had no idea.

Bruce admitted that when he found out Asuka was pregnant he had offered to marry her. Asuka had refused. They had argued: Bruce was busy and Asuka's job was dangerous, under each of their guard, the environments were unsafe for a little girl. Bruce caved to Asuka when she threw the final nails into her argument: Asuka was the child's mother, which no one could disprove. It hurt Bruce to hear her say something that they both knew wasn't true; he was the father of that child. Asuka was trying to wound him. The second was what turned Bruce from Asuka, what let him let her go with their child: Asuka refused to have her daughter grow up where she could be ignored. She knew all the doubts that drove at Bruce even after such a short time together.

Their relationship ended before their child was ever born. Asuka gave into Bruce's request that he was present when the baby was born. In a small hospital in a place where Wayne wasn't the most popular name around, Asuka gave birth to Sakura Chloe Wayne. It was a name that would exist only on paper, the little girl would be Sakuja Suzumi, no matter how it burned Bruce.

Sakura and Bruce both forgave Asuka and eventually Sakura settled in the bedroom he had had decorated for her. It was quiet, away from the rest of the world, just like Asuka had feared. No one beside Alfred, Dear Brother and Bruce had ever caught wind of Sakura Chloe…

…

He found that he could get himself into as much trouble as he wanted in Gotham. There was more than enough action to be pulled around for him to throw his rage. Bruce didn't have to like it, Sakura didn't know about it and Alfred was far too much a gentleman to call him out for it.

_Run, Grayson, Run. _The slim boy tumbled across the streets, ruining dice throws and distressing night walkers. He had become uncontrollable over the weeks. He hated Gotham, he hated Bruce Wayne and he wanted nothing more to go back to China and stay with Feng Law. But he couldn't. Bruce Wayne refused him. If it wasn't for his sister, he would have run away. Instead, he ran the nights.

He didn't know what made him angrier: that his sister was so calm about becoming someone else; that Bruce Wayne treated him like a ward, as if he, too, would become his child that he hid; or that no matter what he did, no matter how hard he kicked, that things were not ever going to be good again.

The doctors couldn't heal Sakuja's body. They had all given up on her. The doctors said therapy was useless and that girl should be placed in a location with a lot of sun, lest she wilt. They weren't funny. Bruce seemed to give in to that prognosis and so did Sakuja. That was what made him run out that night: Sakuja had given up so easy.

_And now… And now…_Now Bruce was sending her away. They had been in his home for three months and Bruce had decided to send her to heal at a temple, far away from the rest of the world, far from where he could be near his sister. They had yelled, or he had yelled and they refused to listen. She was going, the Temple of Baek was supposedly the only remaining mystic temple, where monks rejuvenated lives, but only if those lives were strong enough to be born again. The temple monks had accepted Sakura and they were preparing to leave in three days.

One day passed before Sakura was visited by her father and interrupted by her Dear Brother.

"Come and sit with us."

"Iie." He refused.

"Your English is good, use it."

"Iie."

"You realize this is for the best, is that what makes you so angry?" Bruce asked.

Sakura sat up in her bed and faced her brother. "This will all make perfect sense to you Dear Brother. I will come back one day, when I am better."

"You don't believe you'll get better! You're ready to let him send you away and you'll go because he asked you to, not because you think you'll walk again. Where is your faith?"

"Please, understand… there is little chance that I will walk again, but if there is any hope to be had, it will come from the Temple."

"We could have stayed in China! We could have stayed with Feng Law and Aoshi and Masa! You would have had hope! You would have always-"

"Yamero!" Sakura screamed. And he did.² His chest rose and fell as he stared at her. She was never like this before, before they ever knew of Bruce Wayne and Gotham and the truth. If there had been any justice in the world, he and Sakuja would still be in China, with their family, where they belonged.

Bruce watched the fire flare behind his eyes. It reminded him of someone he knew was himself as a child: the undirected need for revenge was fueling the rebellion in Richard Grayson. Grayson, that's what he had wanted to be called. Dear Brother was something he could no longer bear to feel. He had to erase himself, if his sister was so easy to take on a new face, then he would too. Bruce told him to choose a name to be called instead, a name that Bruce and Alfred could call him. Bruce still remembered how his shoulders rolled when he said "Grayson". He carried the death his parents like a weight, like Bruce had, but where Bruce had time, solitude and millions, Grayson had a sister he was losing and only one man that he could find and point a finger at.

Bruce stood up and stared Richard down. If he could control that rage within, if he could make that burning feeling calm, Richard Grayson would have all the abilities that would make him someone that Bruce could trust with all his truths. If only he could make the boy realize that as well.

Richard Grayson stared at Bruce Wayne who stared at him in returned. His eyes reminded him of all the things that had made Sakuja strong, what she no longer was because she had met Bruce Wayne. He had stolen what made her strong.

"Richard, after Sakura leaves for the Temple, I want you to train with me."

"You can want all you want **Bruce**. But once you send my sister away, you'll have no claim on me."

"Reconsider."

"I want nothing to do with you! Ever! I **hate** you."

Richard charged at Bruce, unaware of size difference, uncaring of consequence. His fist missed Bruce and his body stumbled to slam into the wall. But Bruce was not going to let him go unpunished. Bruce's grip and the force of the turn wrenched Richard's shoulder in his socket. The boy cried out. Sakura watched in fear.

"Reconsider." Bruce said. Then he let Richard go. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. Richard collapsed to the floor. Sakura leaned, but found her fingers were just too far away from her brother's shoulders.

"I think you-" Sakura began. She never finished her sentence; Richard turned and leapt from her window. Sakura watched him tuck and slide safely into the night.

That was why he was out that night, ready to throw his body into a fight. Instead, he witnessed for the first time, the silhouette of something hauntingly familiar and tragic. The shadow ran across the black sky, dark contrast swiftly moving to where the light did not reach. Where Richard Grayson followed.

That night, he witnessed Batman, he saw what was the arbiter of justice in Gotham. He saw Batman swing and trap the bad guys. Batman. If Batman could see him… It was then that Richard knew what he would do. If his sister was willing to run, then he too would run. To Batman. Batman would teach him how to get satisfaction, to gain revenge, to always stand.

Two days later, Richard couldn't hold his resolve to not speak to Sakura before she left his life forever. He sat beside her, her fingers petting his head.

"I want you to try. I know what you're thinking. I know you want to leave when I can no longer see you. But please, before you decide to leave father, I want you to try to get along with him."

"Why? Why should I stay?"

"Please don't blame him for what has happened. Our lives have been changed. We are not ever going to be what we were. But no matter what, you are my brother."

"If you go, you won't come back. You are accepting this."

"I am not accepting anything. The past happened. Mother and Father wouldn't want us to run… you know that."

Richard was going to correct her, but he couldn't. She still felt something for the time where they were travelers, where they were a strong family.

"I can't promise you anything."

"Yes you can. And it is the only thing I'll ever ask of you…"

Richard turned to her wondering if she was going to actually say it… if she was going to demand of him what she could not do herself. Her eyes softened around the edges as her fingers tied in between his.

"Kenosuke itsumo tatsu" (Always stand)

Richard Grayson nodded and let her be taken out his life. Bruce Wayne stood beside Richard as the plane pulled away heading for an island that they would never see. Bruce turned to Richard without moving his head. "What is itsumo tatsu?"

"It's the words of our father. He was a brave man."

For six nights Richard Grayson stayed with Bruce Wayne before he disappeared into the darkness to seek Batman out. On his first night, within one hour of searching, he found Batman.

"Batman… I am… Richard Grayson, I ask of you to take me as your student. I want you to train me to fight like you do."

Batman turned to Richard without moving his head. "Reconsider." He said before disappearing into the night. Richard stood stunned for an hour. His fists clenched when the shock wore off. He returned to Wayne Manor that night, but did not find Bruce. Instead, he found Alfred.

"Master Richard, it is late."

"Where is Bruce?"

"Master Bruce has retired for the night. In the morning I will inform him you were looking for him. I will be up to your room shortly to turn down your bed."

Richard did not move. Alfred would find him the next morning in the exact same spot he had left him. Alfred had never seen such determination. Perhaps he **should** inform Master Bruce. The day came and went and when the night came again, Richard stood tall as Bruce crossed his path, pausing, side to side, facing different directions.

"You were looking for me Richard?"

"Can you teach me? Can you make me like you? Can you show me how to hide myself in the dark?"

Bruce smiled and raised his head toward the roof of his manner. "You are willing to train now?" Richard nodded. "Are you willing to learn?" Another nod. "Are you prepared to forgive?" This nod was hesitant. "Can you give up the ability to forget?" Richard's footsteps would echo through the corridors for hours it seemed. He stumbled down stairs and slid into a bookcase. The case rumbled and opened up, revealing its secrets to Richard.

He studied the room. The machines ran quietly, the files were immaculate and Richard had a feeling that it was always this way. The Batmobile, the gadgets, the precision of design… and finally in a glass class… the uniform.

Alfred stood beside him silently for a moment. "Master Bruce has asked me what you wish to become."

Richard stared at the uniform, darkness, vengeance, justice in a single symbol. "I want to be my father's son."

That night Robin was born.

The initial training was difficult. It was taxing and the rebellion was not satisfied in weeks of fighting simulations and studying. Robin struck out on his own, fought independently of Batman in battle and risked his life every night. But time began to fade the rebellion in him. Everyday he associated himself less with who he once was. The fighting and the satisfaction rubbed the need to keep the past in memory. As he began to study intensely, when his battle simulations ran all night and vengeance took the form of saving those who could not save themselves, his past became a burden rather than a support wall. He realized he was fighting so hard to keep inside him what had hurt him for so long. When the day came that the memory was no longer a drive, Robin had taken over his personality and justice was his only concern.

With everything suppressed so deep, Richard Grayson and Dear Brother were stored away forever, he had thought. He did not exist without his mask, there was no going back. He was Robin and with the past hidden from himself, he was calm. He could think or not think of Sakura and he could fight for those who needed a champion and fight against those who wanted to pillage and destroy. He was a hero. He forgot himself and became the most infamous boy in the world.

After a few years he forgave Sakura and pushed her away hurriedly to the back of his mind. When the letter had come, he was successful in forgetting her again, but when she was standing there, healed like she had never been scarred, he couldn't push away his past, he couldn't suffocated the forms he had taken before Robin, but he would still try.

…

Sakura watched her brother and those eyes for a few more moments before turning to go to bed. She knew that her being here would change the life that he had been leading. Her father had told her how over the years he had removed himself from the past as best as he could. Sakura believed him. It had been much easier for her; she faced changes that had to be overcome by moving forward. Dear Brother didn't know what to look forward to and so, had buried himself in the past. Now he was moving forward, enjoying girls and forgetting what hurt him. Sakura wished her return didn't bring such reminder of what was, but she knew, somehow deep in her heart she knew, that being with him would continue his push into future.

End of Chapter Four

¹ Technically it's Sakura's second because she had to take one when she was a baby to get to China.

² Yamero is stop


	10. This Fire Part One

This Fire

Part One

Beast Boy dreamt in color. Vibrant colors found only through the wild plains of Africa. The only thing he loved more than the sight was the sound. Young wildebeests butting their heads in competition, the river crashing against rocks and baby gazelles stampeding to catch up to their mothers; the sounds of Africa sang to him day and night.

In his dreams, he would remember running to keep up with his mother. She'd sprint quickly, tracking the hordes of toucans, taking pictures of the beautiful birds in flight. He'd run beside her, or sometimes fly amongst them as a toucan, soaring over her head and towards the sun.

Beast Boy's childhood had been very happy. In his dreams he could remember all the moments where his mother read to him stories of great African kings of beasts. He could feel her soft brown skin against his cheek; he could remember the sound of her voice.

Sinora Logan had adopted him when he was only weeks old. The Kenyan Nation had found Beast Boy as a crying child in a biotechnology lab, abandoned in the haste of the fleeing scientists responsible for his creation.

The Kenyan Nation had been at a loss at what to do with the small, green, wailing child, until a government zoologist from South Africa stepped forward to take in the boy. There was no hesitation from the officials in passing the boy to Sinora. She was a kind woman, well trusted and still suffering the wounds of losing her son, Nathaniel, a few years before. Perhaps she was looking for a love to fill that space in her heart and because that child would need so much care, small as he was and obviously the victim of someone's mad science, Sinora took him in and Beast Boy was raised with the traveling sun, underneath the kind smile of his mother.

It was under the traveling sky that Garfield Logan discovered his ability. Sinora had been stalked by a snake, pushed back against tree where the serpent hissed and prepared to strike. Nothing but a mongoose would deter it from its attack and in his great need Garfield became one and drove the snake back. Garfield turned to his mother in surprise and Sinora realized what had been done to him in that lab. She told him what she knew and Beast Boy treated everything like it was a new game. He could become any animal he ever saw and took to reading Sinora's books to become every single one of them.

No one knew that Beast Boy wrote letters to Sinora every Thursday after he received a letter from her, folded neatly in a Zoolife book¹. He'd read her letters and remembered her fondly, always thinking back to the moment when he last saw her.

⁰"Do you think I should go with them?" A thirteen year old Beast Boy asked.

"I think you should do what makes you happy."

"Staying with you makes me happy mom… but you don't want me to stay here, I can tell… Do you think it will be better for me there? Robin thinks I could do a lot of good, but… What if they don't laugh at my jokes or only eat meat or try to make me into a circus sideshow? What if they don't like me?"

"They will adore you sweetheart. Wherever you go, you're a beacon of shining light my dear, dear boy."

"You only say that because you love me."

"You're right. I love you." Sinora replied, holding out a hand for her son to take. Beast Boy stepped forward and took her hand. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I love you too mom. I'll come back and visit and write you letters and look for your papers."

"You didn't read them when you were with me, why do you think I'll believe you read them when you're half the world away."

"Is America that far away?"

"You're never far away from me. A mother's love is always by her son's side."⁰

Every Friday morning, Beast Boy woke up happy.

…

Starfire did not tell anyone, but she had been hurt in the fight against Slade's drones. It wasn't serious, just a cut on the hand from when she was kicked across a vent. The cut wasn't deep, but the delicate skin needed to be protected. Normally she would have gone to Raven, but the fight last night had thrown her into mediation. Star knew that she wouldn't want to be disturbed. She wrapped a bandage around her hand and was done with it. Deciding she had spent too much time in the absence of her friend's company, she flew to join them.

The Titans were crowded around Sakura. Voices were mingled and for a few moments Star could not catch what they were excited about. Soon the words separated out and Star caught a compliment's tail end, which she figured to be very painful for the compliment.²

"Dude! That boomerang thing was awesome! You cut through like a dozen of those drones in a single swing!"

"Yeah girl! You're good! You can kick bad guy butt with us anytime."

"Thank you Cyborg. I've been training with my hiraikotsu since I was a little girl. I've gotten pretty good."

"Pretty good? Pretty good! That was sweet!"

Robin shook out his hair with a gloved left hand. "Sakura is just like me. We don't have any special powers, so we rely on our training: acrobatics, martial arts and weaponry."

"That's not exactly true." Sakura interjected.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I do have a special power. I've only recently realized it. When I was at the Baek temple, I was given a power. I have a small amount of the temple's Holy energy in me. I can focus it and make barriers." Sakura placed her hands in a spread finger bowl and the team watched as a crystalline sphere of white-silver energy materialized and sparkled in front of their eyes.

"Holy?"

"It's pure. That's what the temple master told me. Holy energy is borne to those with pure heart or great righteous need. He… he didn't tell me which I had. But once I was able to concentrate the energy, I left the temple and found out my brother was here. I came to help in anyway I could."

"Wow! We've got Dark magic **and** Holy magic on our side! I bet we can beat Slade back every time with Sakura on our side."

"Whoa Beast Boy! I've got a lot of mediation to do before it can be of much help in battle. Really I've been focusing on healing properties. I learned that I can heal small cuts, like the one Star has on her hand."

Star's eyes widened like a dear in headlights. She didn't realize her entrance was noticed.

"Hey Star, I didn't even see you back there." Robin said.

Starfire glowered. _It would seem that Sakura is the most observant sibling._

…

Raven officially quit. She couldn't deal with it anymore. Her control was as solid as it ever would be, but for some reason, whenever she mediated, her hair grew.

_Whenever I mediate, my hair grows_ Raven ticked a finger for her list._Whenever I fight a battle that emotionally distresses me, my hair grows._Another finger._Whenever I think of Robin, my hair grows._No finger moved, but she did not notice._Whenever I mediate, my hair grows._Raven groaned. "And now I'm repeating myself…"

Raven dropped her scissors into the drawer and slammed it shut. It was official; Raven would never cut her hair again. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment and watched the way the long bangs sat high of her forhead³. It softened her face and she liked that. When she had been trapped inside Star's body, she had complained about such hair, but now that it was hers it felt different… it was nice.

That night, Raven didn't come out of her room when the alarm blared. Celine turned out the orders and Sakura promised to keep an ear open for Raven as the Titans fled to the scene. They were met by a Special Tactics officer who was just as surprised to find the criminal activity over before the Titans arrived as they were.

"What's happened here?"

"A few witnesses saw Mumbo pulling a disappearing act on all the money in the Jump City Trust. He was making his getaway when a girl showed up and taught him a thing about earning things the hard way. She handled herself pretty well. I figured I'd call you to see if you were in need of a new recruit… But I thought better of it."

"Why?"

"The girl is shaken up pretty bad. I don't think she planned on playing the hero tonight. I don't think she's super hero material." The officer replied.

"Where is she? Do you know anything about her? What's her name?"

"One question at a time, Cyborg. I don't know her name, she didn't tell me. As to where she's from, your guess is as good as mine. She's sitting on the park bench over there. I put a blanket around her to calm her down. I hope it does the trick."

"Thanks. Alright team… Going at her as a group will probably frighten her… Aqualad, go check on her."

Aqualad walked over to the girl and found that the detective was right. Even with the blanket over her head, he could tell she was shaken up. Her shoulders were hunched over and her purple boots kicked nervously.

"Excuse me miss. Are you alright?" The brown blanket tightened around the girl's form, revealing a small scar on a delicate hand. "You did a very brave thing. We just want to make sure you are okay… are you?" The hood bobbed weakly, not another inch of her was exposed to the street light above their heads. "Could you take the blanket off and tell me that?"

The girl knotted her ankles before reaching that nicked hand to the top of the blanket and pulling it away. Her long black hair fell around her face. Her sad, deep blue eyes turned to meet his and Aqualad gasped. Aqualad was accused of falling in love as often as girls fell in love with him. For the most part it was true, he enjoyed the company of pretty young women for a day or two before both parties moved on. He was known for being so cool around girls, but this girl was… different. Aqualad was filled with a deep sensation that took the calm away from his heart.

Aqualad froze with his eyes locked on her face. He had never seen anything so beautiful. She had something that rang home for him, a familiar-ness that he didn't have, but should have. But for all his cool, all his charm, all the ways he had girls falling over him, he couldn't make his lips move to say a thing to her.

The other Titans stood by nervously. Aqualad hadn't moved in a long time. "Maybe someone should check on **him**." Cyborg suggested, "If it's a pretty girl we could be staying here all day." Starfire stepped forward and flew to stand beside Aqualad. Taking in the sight of the girl in front on him and Starfire stood as still as a mountain, the look of surprise running from her toes to her red bangs. The black haired girl turned to Starfire and smiled gently.

"You have a kind face." The girl said to Star and it seemed to knock Starfire from her stupefaction. Starfire steadied her feet, nudging Aqualad who had all but exploding from hearing the girl's voice. "What are you doing here?"

The girl reeled as if hit. "Have I done something wrong?"

Starfire looked the girl who looked back at her. The girl was staring at a stranger.

"Do you know me?" The black haired girl asked. "Maybe that is why I find your face so kind. But you don't look like you like me… I must not have been a kind person…" Her sad eyes lowered and it looked for the entire world as if she was going to cry.

_Tears do not suit her…_ _What has happened? _Starfire stood perfectly still.

"Now they're both standing still. I didn't even know Starfire could **do** still. What is happening?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not sure, but it'd best if we find out." Robin and the others joined her. Those sad blue eyes looked them over. Their expressions brought the blanket back around her shoulders. Aqualad's inaction was broken by the movement. He all but dove on the bench beside her. He took her wounded hand in his.

"We aren't going to hurt you. Don't be afraid."

"Dude… What is happening? Is it bad guys stop other bad guys month or what?"

"Starfire… do you think it's a trick?" Cyborg whispered.

"At this moment… I am confused as to if my sister is in the state to be capable of deception…"

End of Part One

¹Reference to Chapter One

²Starfire dialog equals difficult

³Think of the first moments in Birthmark where her hair is long.


	11. This Fire Part Two

This Fire

Part Two

Starfire stared at the shell of a girl that had the face and body of her older, tyrannical, devious, _bad_ sister. Blackfire's eyes told her something, but she didn't know what, not yet.

Celine's fingers tugged at levers and spun dials, colored buttons flashed in yellows and greens and under her thumb a red switch hummed in excitement as it set off its specified chain reaction. Celine wore a face of displeasure as her device sprung to life.

"You guys make me look like some sort of mad scientist. You're the ones who want to scan her brain, but I'm the one who has to strap the poor girl down and run the machine. I do have a conscience you know. If you're going to exploit my genius, couldn't it be for something that isn't going to give Blackfire a heart attack?"

Cyborg turned from the initial diagnostic scan, half listening to her rant. He hadn't thought he was asking that much of Celine, but looking at Blackfire's worried face; he could see why she was so upset. Starfire took a step forward, hand held over her chest.

"Celine, I would be very much grateful if you would please understand. I fear something has happened to my sister and I would like to know the truth, it is not for my own gain, but for Blackfire's well being."

"I know. It's alright Star, I'm just blowing out some steam. I've got a lot of things on my plate and this is not the kind of distraction I was hoping for."

Blackfire wrapped her ankles around each other while Starfire tried to understand where Celine hid her steam valve. Blackfire's head was shielded by a helmet with several wires running from it to the large machine Celine was working with. They were in the medic room of the Titans' tower and all the Titans were present. Aqualad sat close to Blackfire, asking her if she were okay with what was happening. The girl nodded, though she didn't understand what was going on.

Celine flipped one last switch and began her scan. Raven had tried to use her soul self to look for any signs of trauma causing amnesia. Nothing in her memory told her anything, Blackfire's memory was only a few weeks old.

Celine had been given a crash course on Blackfire when Star decided that Celine should know everything there was to know about Starfire one afternoon. Celine was a good listener. Most of the Titans had at some point told part of their life to Celine, and each of them realized how she was not as eager to return the favor.

No one but Cyborg and Beast Boy, through his constant weaseling (literally), knew what Celine's middle name was or what her favorite color was or what scared her. Celine wasn't reserved; she just never found the necessity. She had heard enough things from the Titans to know that telling secrets got them in trouble and Celine wanted no part of that. It seemed half of the cast Celine had been introduced to held some bad memories for at least one of the Titans.

The scanner whorled, a vibrant purple light flashed from the inside of the helmet running across Blackfire's eyes. An image of Blackfire's mind flickered across the monitor of Celine's device.

"That's really strange… There's no apparent damage to her memory storing regions in her brain." Celine pointed out the regions on the brain image. "But there is no output for activity… it's like all the memories from before three weeks ago were deleted."

"Like brainwashing?" Robin asked.

"No, brainwashing is a little more complicated. But this isn't brainwashing, things haven't been turned off… they've been taken away."

"But you can't just take away part of a person's mind."

"I feel like… like it's the manipulation of time. Loss of memory occurs at old age, portions of the mind become inaccessible… but no, that can't be right. She hasn't lost the capacity to remember. Everything since three weeks ago is still there." Cyborg observed.

Celine and Cyborg studied the output chart while the others studied Blackfire. They remembered her from their encounters, when she had come to the Tower and when they went to her on Tameran. Then, she was confident, strong-willed, full of poor will towards Starfire and determined to get everything she wanted. If it wasn't for Star, they were sure she'd get everything she'd ever want.¹

But that wasn't the girl they were looking at. The Blackfire they were looking at was timid, incapable of more than single phrases and apparently petrified to be the center of attention. The old Blackfire wouldn't have fought Mumbo, not even for kicks, but this one had. The Titans had only been confused once like this before; when Terra had turned from good…

"What is that?" Cyborg asked, pointing to an image localized at the basal end of Blackfire's brain. Cyborg's metallic finger traced an off color region in the image, it was slightly yellow but distinctly out of place.

Celine enhanced the image, reaching across Cyborg's arm. They touched there for a moment and they blushed. Cyborg turned his eyes away as the blush took over his entire face. Dozens of hearts fluttered about Celine's head. All of them burst when the rest of the Titans politely coughed in unison. Startled, Celine continued her adjustments.

The small yellow area was shaped like a -G-, but upside down and backwards. It looked like the beginnings of a tattoo, terribly, terribly out of place.

"It looks like some sort of marker, but it's very strange. It's alien; I've never seen it before."

"Grugdindorf." Starfire whispered.

"What?"

Blackfire turned to the red head, as if she were responding to the word. In her mind, she felt like it was familiar, but she didn't know why.

"Grugdindorf. It is Tameranian for Restart. It is a technology from the Yinti scientist planet. The Yinti are Tameran's nearest ally. The Grugdindorf allows those whose lives have been filled with tragedy to remove their memory. It is a start of freshness…"

"So Blackfire did this Grugdindorf to herself?" Robin asked.

"It is a voluntary procedure, but…"

"But what, Starfire?" Raven asked.

"The Grugdindorf is only given to those who prove their tragedy… if my memory serves me correctly, nothing more recently than eight years ago qualifies…"

The team turned to face Blackfire, who seemed to shrink under their questioning gaze. Cyborg hid his mouth behind his hand. "I'm not sure I can believe this." He whispered to Robin. "What if it is a trick?"

"I don't know Cyborg… Ultimately it is Star's decision."

Outside the sky opened up and rain began to fall across the tower's windows.

Starfire wasn't one to stand still, even if it was something as simple as raising her weight from her heels to her toes, Star would choose movement over inaction. It bothered Robin, who knew her best, to see her standing so still. He placed a gentle hand on her arm, trying to coax something out of her. Sakura's eyes shifted when Raven stepped forward to stand beside Starfire.

"Starfire, what do you want to do?" Raven asked.

"If it is the Grugdindorf as I suspect, the loss of memory is irreversible… My sister is not who she once was. Something very bad happened to my sister."

"So you don't think it's a trick?"

"That, I can not say." Neither of the trio turned back to look at Blackfire who was being helped to remove the scanner. "My sister, for a long time, has been able to trick me… However…"

"This doesn't sound like Blackfire's style." Robin posited.

Starfire agreed.

"I understand your concern, Starfire, but do you think we should turn her away… What if…"

"Friend Raven, I have given up the trust in my sister, but she is still my sister. I would like Blackfire to stay with us. I am needing to know what has happened… if that is possible."

Star finally turned to look at Blackfire, who's hand wound was being healed by Sakura, just as her's had been earlier that day. Star glanced down at her hand and watched both the healed skin and Blackfire as the dark haired girl whispered a thank you before turning her face back towards her lap.

"I guess I'll turn down the sheets in the guest room." Raven said.

"Do you think she should be alone right now?" Aqualad asked.

"You're right… I guess, she can stay with Sakura and I. Our room is the biggest. She might be more comfortable with girls closer to her age." Celine offered.

"No, my sister will stay with me." Starfire decided.

"Thank you… sister." Blackfire seemed uneasy about using the word, as if she were committing it to memory for the first time. Cyborg wished the scanner was still connected; they might have been able to see if that were the case.

Raven exited the room silently. She walked down the corridor to the spare utilities closet and found blankets and personal effects that Blackfire would possibly need. Robin found her, piling blankets to make a futon and laying out a basket of soaps and hand towels.

"You seem eager to help Blackfire." Robin stated.

"If this Grugdindorf… is legitimate, I think there are only two possible explanations to why she went through with it."

"Assuming that it was voluntary, either something really bad happened to her since the last time we encountered her…" Robin presented.

"Or Blackfire has come to hate what she was, all the terrible things she had done. I suppose everyone deserves a second chance, if they prove that they realize they need one."

Robin said nothing, dropping to his knees to help Raven organize her supplies.

…

Meditating with Raven improved Sakura's control on her Holy powers. Genuinely, Sakura enjoyed being friends with Raven. They spared together, cooked dinner for the Titans together, though Sakura did more of the cooking for the benefit of the others; Raven could burn a salad. Sakura found she liked Raven as a person, but the best part of being friends with Raven is that she could tease her. Teasing Raven was something Sakura would never get bored with.

Raven and Sakura stood in perfect stillness in the training room. Aside from Blackfire, who was observing the two, the training room was empty. They began, in perfect unison; taking the tranquil forms of Tai Chi. Their bodies slid forward and back gracefully, completing movements without hesitation. Their eyes stayed closed as their hands and feet danced gently. Sakura's breathing was slower, more relaxed; but Raven's body held the calm of the Tai energy better, her control much superior.

Blackfire's exit was only briefly noticed, the wind changed around them. They were alone in the great calm energy. Raven's long hair spun around her, dropping and rising with her shoulders and wrists, Sakura's leather capris brushed against her leg guard, the same with Raven's cape, but no sound escaped. Sound disappeared; light vanished, save the spotlight of their energies. Raven's steps fell silently, Sakura's extensions completed without a whisper.

They closed their minds, the freedom from emotions gave Raven the peace of Tai Chi and allowed her to totally obey her body. It was a peace she was claiming more and more as the days grew longer and longer. _Calm, at least until the final form._

In the atonement stand, the closing art of their movements, Sakura didn't open her eyes before she spoke. "How long have you been burning like a bridge for my brother?"

Raven's total balance and calm was shattered in that instance. Her surprised mind wrapped around her body, throwing all her weight onto one leg. Wildly, her arms swung to keep her balance. Sakura extended her arm towards Raven's back; using one finger she nudged the offset girl. Raven yelped and toppled over. Raven landed chin first, but only stayed on the ground for less than a second, jumping back to her feet and shaking an angry fist under her chin. Sakura smiled innocently. A vein throbbed in Raven's forehead.

"Well?"

"Robin and I are just friends." Raven replied.

Sakura put on hand on her hip. "I didn't ask that. I want to know how long you've had a crush on my baby brother. As his older sister, I demand you to tell me."

"I… er… You haven't the authority to ask me that!" Raven declared. Sakura laughed gently at Raven's retreating back, she had never seen a more half-hearted furious exit. _I don't know who's got it worse… her or him…_

…

The Titans were finding Celine's notes everywhere. In the kitchen, the common room, the hallway and even once or twice in the bathroom, each of the Titans had found at least one of Celine's furious scribblings, balled up and abandoned. Most of them couldn't make heads or tails of it. When they asked Cyborg, he put his hands up defensively. He wasn't putting his fingers on that train wreck.

The first principle of Reverse Engineering, equations with dozens of variables, abandoned architecture for some plan of action, half of the second principle, broken pencil tips and pen blotches ran along each sheet of paper. Each one also had a huge X across them; each plan and note was a failure in Celine's design.

Celine wasn't able to focus. Even when Bumble Bee returned, the presence of her best friend and partner was not satisfying. Bumble Bee came and visited her the night of return to find Celine packing a bag.

Bumble Bee raised a sleek brow. "Where are you going?"

"Slowly insane. But first, I'm going to return to the AGU. At least for a little while. I don't think I have the resources here to complete our mission."

"Lying doesn't become you Celine."

Celine dropped her bag and sat on top of it with a deflated sigh. Loberos nudged the frustrated girl. Celine rubbed his chin.

"What is going on?" Bumble Bee asked. "You couldn't have been more excited to come to Jump when you heard you could work with the Titans. We've been having huge gains with tracking Brother Blood down and Victor is here! Why would you want to leave? I know our last mission was a bust…"

"It was more than a bust, it was a complete failure… I'm starting to feel a pattern and I don't like it."

"So Operation Red Hawk Sting didn't work…"

"Red Hawk was a major disaster-piece!"

Bumble Bee was a junior agent in the Justice League. When rumors had surfaced that Brother Blood was active in Jump City, Bumble Bee had been assigned to Celine as a partner to infiltrate the HIVE academy to get as close to Blood as possible. Celine had donned a character and entered the HIVE alongside Bumble Bee. Only a few short weeks into operation **Red Hawk Sting**, Celine's cover had been blown. She managed to escape without giving up Bumble Bee's role in the operation and Celine returned to the Armed Guards Union. Alone, Bumble Bee hadn't been able to gather anymore useful information. Later Bumble Bee joined the Titans after learning that Cyborg had come close to stopping Blood.²

"Celine, everyone hits setbacks even Super Geniuses and Super Heroes. Sometimes we need saving too, that's why there are so many of us."

"Bee, it's bigger than that."

"Things aren't going well with Cyborg?"

"If only it were just that. I'm a big girl Bee. I can handle a little turbulence."

"Then what?" Bumble Bee asked, leaning over Celine with an inquiring eye.

"Then… I don't know. It's the end of the world it seems like."

"I can see how that would make you uneasy."³

"I've never met a challenge before that I couldn't overcome. But now, when someone's heart is on the line, someone I care about… my genius is useless."

"Don't say that. Come on Omicron! You're perfect, you just need more time."

Overhead an alarm blared angrily, demanding Celine's attention.

"Time is the commodity that I don't have enough of."

The Titans charged into battle against Cardiac. Robin was front and center; brave and handsome as always. Blackfire had come as well, she didn't know a thing about Cardiac, but from the way Starfire acted, she knew he was a bad man. The Tameranians' eyes flared as they rained down energy bolts. Cardiac's veins and arteries lashed out wildly, striking down Robin, Aqualad and Beast Boy in one sweep. Raven's energy held the beast still and Sakura's flying hiraikotsu toppled half its legs.

But like most of the other villains they had faced in recent weeks, Cardiac had picked up a few new moves. After a few seconds of remaining completely stationary, Cardiac regenerated its veins before growing smaller veins which protruded several new, smaller Cardiacs.

"Since when can hearts self generate?" Beast Boy asked.

"Since when did you know what self generate means?" Cyborg asked. The tiny cardiacs flung themselves at the Titans. Some then scurried in a frenzy throughout the area.

"Keep an eye open guys… we're dealing with one bad heart."

The Titans broke into three teams of three. The Tameranians and Aqualad chased down the mini-heart-attackers⁴ that headed towards the downtown area; Beast Boy, Bumble Bee and Cyborg rounded up the remaining little machines, while Sakura, Raven and Robin chased Cardiac towards the water front.

Cardiac drove its metallic veins into the ground to steady its position, as it remaining arteries controlled a huge suction force. The three Titans held their ground. Sakura threw her hiraikotsu, only to have it sucked cleanly into the pump.

"Hey! Give that back!"

Robin rushed at Cardiac, drawing freeze discs from him belt. His throw was interrupted by the quick slash of one of Cardiacs protruding veins. The Boy Wonder was hurled through the air until he slammed into the waterfront, dragging sand until he stopped, head and neck assaulted by beach water.

"Robin!" Raven called out, taking to the air.

"He's fine!" Celine's voice yelled through the communicator. "Raven, take him apart!"

Raven rose her arms above her head, the dark energy encircling her fingers. Cardiac hurled a vein at her, but it never made it. Raven stared at the silver-white guard in front of her. She quickly turned her head to Sakura and found Sakura's fingers wrapped in a silver glow. She smiled at Raven.

"Get 'em! I'll take care of Robin!" With that Sakura took a running leap and somersaulted above Cardiac, striking the machine with her foot and throwing it off balance. She landed in a tight roll but got to her feet quickly and continued after her brother.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Dark waves of Raven's demonic powers assaulted Cardiac, pulling in opposing directions until finally it tore. The mechanical Cardiac minis ceased function.

Raven flew to Sakura who was hefting Robin to his feet. He was water logged and covered in seaweed, but aside from minor scratches, he didn't look any worse for wear.

He developed a fever that night, Sakura noticed after she had healed a tiny cut on his face. She couldn't do anything about it, leaving Robin to tough it out. Sometime near midnight, Raven walked past Robin's room and heard a groan. Worried, she entered without knocking. Robin laid on his bed, face tight with fever. Raven sat down on the bed and assessed her leader.

"I thought your sister healed your wounds."

Robin's face relaxed a little as he tried to sit up. Raven's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "She did," Robin replied, "but she couldn't do anything about the fever."

Raven put a hand on his head, he was burning up. Raven concentrated for a moment, trying to find some side to her power that could reduce his pain. The two said nothing for a few seconds.

"I like your hair."

Raven nearly pulled back but didn't. Somehow she managed to hide her surprise; at least that is what she told herself. Robin smirked a little, his eyes closing behind his mask. She traced Robin's forehead, sending a calming energy through him. Robin sighed as some of the pressure from the fever was relieved.

"Thank you." Robin whispered.

Raven nodded, her hair slipping over her shoulder and onto his chest. As she sat back, a few strands ran over his bare arm.

Robin propped himself on one elbow. "You haven't been cutting it back."

Raven shrugged.

"I liked it before too. They're both you."

"I've never knew you to be so easily satisfied. Since when do you notice the physical?"

"Rae, I wear a mask and I have the coolest outfit out of all of us."

Raven's eyebrow rose, whether from the use of a pet name or from his statement, neither of them considered. "Coolest outfit? Anyone could wear what you're wearing."

Robin smirked. "I know, you did."

"Right. But no one can pull off a leotard but me. Picture yourself trying to pull it off… No… never think of you in a leotard."

Robin laughed and Raven smiled gently.

Robin still remembered the first time he ever saw Raven smile. A real smile: all teeth accounted for, perfect day, favorite ice cream flavor, genuine smile. She had been sitting on the beach on a blanket nearing dust. The sun was setting over the water, her book had been abandoned, pages spread near the hand that supported her weight. Her face was turned, half of it kissed with the sun, the other hidden in darkness. It was her true state; it was the moment when the outside world matched her inside. But Robin didn't know that at the time, he but he did know at that moment that he thought Raven looked beautiful. The shadows flickered along her body and Robin was glad he was the only one there to see her that way.

Raven's eyes were closed, but her smile was there, letting him know that Raven was still aware of the outside world. When he sat behind her, body on his knees, he knew that she had felt him there. But that smile remained, even as she turned her head to have her face bathed entirely in light. They sat completely still together and watched the sun finish its decent over the water.

This smile was different, but it still struck Robin right between the eyes. He sighed for a minute and without thinking stood up in his bed.

"Come on." Robin said. He offered a hand to her.

"What are you doing? Lay down, you need to rest."

"You healed me. I'm alright. Come on." Robin bounced slightly on his bed, jostling the green monkey under his sheets.⁵

"Come on where?"

Robin didn't answer, knowing by that little admission that she was willing to go with him. He grabbed the sorceress' hand and made her stand on the bed beside him. He gave her a cocky smile and before she could protest, he had catapulted them out of his bed room window and towards the beach below.

"Are you crazy?" Raven asked as she finished levitating them to the ground. The black barrier dissipated. Robin stepped clear of her and held his arms to the night air. "What is wrong with you? You didn't even try to use a bird-a-rang! You can't fly!"

"Yes I can." Robin said grabbing her wrist and squeezing softly. Raven blushed. Robin smiled. "Tag. You're it." Robin took off into a run, leaving a stunned Raven behind him. He looked back after a few seconds. "And no powers!" Raven laughed at the situation and took off into a run after the Boy Wonder.

That same night, underneath the same sky, Beast Boy took a seat under the stars and stared over the water. He pulled his knees to his chest and held perfectly still as the water crashed under the pull of the moon.

Pacing was not Celine's favorite activity. She only did it when she couldn't concentrate. She had been pacing a lot the last few weeks. The moon threw its light into the room, casting its marks along her profile. If anyone had been awake to see her, she would have been beautiful.

Celine continued her path, etching her trail deeper and deeper into the carpet as the hours carried on. She passed Sakura's bed for the ninth time, catching from the corner of her eye the other girl turning in her sleep. Celine stopped moving. She pulled off her scouter, closed her book and left them both on her desk. Rubbing her neck, she stepped outside the Tower and headed towards the beach.

She was startled to find Beast Boy as still as stone sitting on the beach. His gaze was intended for someone, she had a suspicion for who that someone was… inside her heart began to hurt, like it did every time she thought that she was failing the sweet green changeling.

"Beast Boy… It's late."

Beast Boy turned to the older girl and smiled. "Hey Celine… I know it's late, but I like the water now."

"Who are you thinking about?" Celine asked as she sat beside him.

"Huh?"

"No one stares out at the ocean so lovingly unless they're thinking of someone they care about." Celine replied.

"Aqualad does."

Celine laughed and nodded in agreement. "I think Aqualad is more concerned with Blackfire than the water these days."

"You're right." Beast Boy agreed.

Celine let the silence lay between them for only a few seconds. "Are you thinking about Terra?"

"No, I wasn't. I was thinking about my mother."

"Your mother?"

"Yeah. Whenever I think about her, I think of the ocean, so I sit out here. It makes me happy."

"Is she alive?"

"Yeah. I write her letters and she sends me letters too. I got one today."

Celine remained silent.

"Celine, is your mom alive?"

"No."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's alright Beast Boy. It's been a long time."

"Do you miss her?"

"Not as much as I should." Celine pulled her knees to her chin and watched the ocean as Beast Boy watched her.

"It's funny… how you take things for granted. I guess happiness and closeness can be at the opposite ends of the world."

Celine sat straight up as if struck by a lightning bolt. Behind her eyes, Beast Boy swore he could see equations and theories running around in her mind.

"Beast Boy! That's it! Opposites! You're brilliant!"

"… Okay…"

Celine grabbed Beast Boy and kissed him on the mouth quickly before running back into the Tower.

The next morning, the team would find Beast Boy scattered along the beach in several small pieces.

End of Chapter Five

A/N

¹Remember this.

²The timeline is as follows: Celine and Bumble Bee enter the HIVE. Celine is found out. Celine leaves. Cyborg enters as Stone. Bumble Bee does research on Stone that leads her back to the Titans. Bumble Bee doesn't recognize Cyborg as Victor (she's never met him and Celine didn't tell her "hey look out for a guy who looks like my boyfriend", Celine doesn't know anything about the Titans involvement with Blood, she didn't know that Cyborg was a Titan.) Bumble Bee joins the Titans as an interim member. After the HIVE attack, Bumble Bee returns to the Justice League to report, while she is leaving the Tower, Celine is heading for it. Their paths don't cross. When Bumble Bee finds out where Celine is, she sends Celine a message telling her of her return. Then Bumble Bee returns… I hope that makes everything make sense.

³Slade's line: "It's the end of the world, did you think it would be easy?" One of the best lines in the series.

⁴I couldn't help myself. I really couldn't.

⁵Of course he kept it!


	12. Terra Nostra Part One

Terra Nostra

Part One

It took all of six hours. Six hours from the moment she kissed Beast Boy to the finally setting up Preparation F in front of Terra's stone summit. The Titans were awoken roughly at five in the morning and each of them helped Celine carry parts of her device to the T-car and her jeep. Both vehicles were filled: Beast Boy, Sakura, Bumble Bee, and Loberos rode with Celine in her jeep, the other Titans and Blackfire in the loaded T-Car. Robin's R-cycle revved as he drove beside them. Beast Boy held the gray box that Celine had entrusted him with close to his chest… _It was going to happen… Today she can start over…_

The feeling of something close to joy wasn't as abundant in the other Titans as in Beast Boy and Celine. Raven turned from her passenger seat to look back at Star and Blackfire. Last night, she had almost convinced herself that she had forgiven Blackfire. But that wasn't true; she **trusted **Blackfire's appearance to be genuine and she held that feeling close to her heart. Her trust was a fragile thing and the girl they were headed to had broken that once. Raven trembled at the thought that perhaps that offense was unforgivable.

The cave was totally unmarked, as if only natural processes had occurred there. The original Titans knew that wasn't so. The cave walls seemed battered and scarred by the onset of hot lava and one brave girl, hurling the land with the fury and righteousness of a Titan… if only for a little while. Terra stood, encompassed in her own power, a guardian force in that place.

Celine set up her devices and Beast Boy waited silently beside her, holding the case to his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world. _Maybe it is, _Beast Boy thought, _this is a gift of forgiveness, second chances and compassion… how often can something so delicate come in a form so small? _

Raven wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold. Something felt different about this place. When they had last come here, it was true that she didn't believe they would ever find a way to reverse the effect, despite what Cyborg had said, despite what Beast Boy wanted. But now, it was going to happen, if Celine's frenzied explanation was to be taken to heart, she was going to help pull Terra from her prison… if she could bring her heart to do it…

Celine carefully took the grey box from Beast Boy and opened the case, plugging in several wires and switching levers. The small device whorled to life and a steady pulse beat could be heard, if the Titans listened hard enough.

"In traditional engineering, there are four recognized energy forces," Celine began as she continued to plug in wires and push buttons, "Light, chemical, biological and metaphysical. Only until recently was a new energy force recognized and its still not well accepted. So far only Reverse Engineering seems to take the potential of Dark energy to principle. Normally, Dark is the absence of light and isn't considered its own energy. But the principles of Reverse Engineering show that Dark Magic, like Raven's, is a type of force…"

The team was half divided. One half watched Celine's hands fly across her mini-computer, punching in codes that drove her Preparation F device, the other, which included Raven and Sakura, listened to Celine weave her science.

"Raven's magic is considered a countering force, but only with Holy to counteract. Two opposite energies, like Dark and Holy can be used as a balancing power… this is the third rule of Reverse Engineering."

Sakura met Raven's eyes; she could see the purple eyed girl's distress in the situation. Sakura wasn't sure she how she felt about all of this. She had never met Terra, but she did know that Terra had hurt her brother and the other Titans. It wasn't fair of her to hold a bias that Terra wasn't exactly a good person, but in all their stories, Sakura couldn't get a feel otherwise… she had a feeling that Raven held the same unease.

"When countering forces meet in opposition, they generate an amplification field. Its like when your body meets a virus, it sends help one way and the virus, if possible, calls for reinforcement… I think I can harness that amplification energy, from both the Holy from Sakura and the Dark from Raven."

Celine looked up from her work and saw that most of the Titans weren't following her. She pulled out a drawing board from ani-space¹ and flipped it to its reverse side, showing a drawing. Celine used a pointer and followed the images. "First," Celine pointed to picture, it was a rough picture of Raven and Sakura blasting Terra's statue with energy. "Raven and Sakura use their powers on the statue." Celine tapped the next image. "Then I use my Preparation F on the created amplification field." The next slide showed Celine flipping her machine on. The image animated itself, the slide turning from Celine's machine to a puff of smoke. Then the puff of smoke disappeared and out would pop Terra. "Terra should be a little weak from the stress, but no worse for wear… And we all live happily ever after I guess." The last slide was Beast Boy all smiles, grabbing Terra. "Got it?"

The Titans nodded. Celine gave Raven and Sakura instructions to stand diagonally away the statue, forming a triangle with Terra and a diamond with Terra and Celine. The other Titans waited in complete silence as they prepared for Celine's cue.

"Since there's an obvious difference in your powers, you both need to be careful. If there is too much dark or not enough holy, this won't work. So concentrate and make sure you can hold your powers. If we do this wrong… we could destroy the statue and never get Terra back…"

Raven swallowed hard, preparing the dark energy within her. She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

_**Beat. Beat. Heart Beat.**_

_Can I do this? Can I let this happen?_ She thought for a moment that she couldn't go through with this, that even though it was someone's life, she couldn't risk being hurt again… The energy waned around her fists, but without turning her head, she could see Beast Boy, standing as calm as he was capable of. The power within her flexed and heaved; her eyes took on her controlled fury._ Could I forgive myself if I fail?_

"Ready? Sakura, I need full power, Raven match her as best you can. I don't know how long I'll need…"

Sakura's silver energy radiated from her body and materialized in a thin silver line. Her fingers curled around themselves, forming the prayer sign, with a short sigh the energy flowed from her fingers and struck the hollow of Terra's neck. Raven waved her arms, her spell seeping through her like her magic spell. _Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…_

The dark matter toppled over white light, perfectly in line. Celine read the read out from her device. "I'm not getting enough of a field to work with. The bio-electric pulse isn't growing… Raven! More power!" Raven closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. The world felt hot around her, the flashes of heat and cold were throwing her concentration… _The cold of duty… The heat of consequence… Which is more painful to bear?_ Raven's power rose, fighting Sakura's at the apex of Terra's bio-electric pulse. Celine flipped several switches; a glow erupted from her energy board. The amplification was at its maximum. With one last glance at the device, Celine looked at Terra's statue and thumbed the generator.

The machine trembled and the cave seemed to quake as well. "Whatever you do, don't stop!" Celine shouted as she steadied the machine. Beast Boy held Celine's shoulders as the super genius steadied her device. Aqualad steadied Blackfire as Star took to the sky, ready to catch any following rocks that would stop the process. Bee and Cyborg waited for any signs of distress from Raven or Sakura, their fingers trembled nervously. But Robin stayed perfectly still. He had seen the reluctance in Raven's eyes, the way she held herself while Celine explained the importance of her role. Robin knew that after Beast Boy, Raven had been the most effected by Terra's actions. For all her strength, her good, her hope and beauty, Raven was a terribly fragile woman. Robin wanted to protect her from everything, but he knew he couldn't… especially against something they couldn't be sure of. There were too many hearts and minds involved in this and come what may, they were saving Terra… _Please don't let one rescue become the death nail for another…_ Robin's fingers cracked under the stress of his clenching fist. _Please don't let us be wrong about this…_

Raven held herself, shutters grasping her body. Her eyes were burning and her skin itched with the marks of Scath. They were taking over her body and the rage within her was spreading with each mark. Along her arms, across her chest and in her palms as her hands gave her energy away. The fear grasped her heart. **_Can you do this? She will betray you… She will hurt you._** The dark voice was coming from her mind, from her heart, from her soul. She could feel the moons of Azarath pulling at her fragile grip. It was his voice, the very sound of Azarath, like a beautiful and tragic wind.**_ Why will you give her another chance, my Lethe_**²**_? She will break you again…Could you live with yourself… if she hurt you again… because you let her hurt you again? _** Raven gasped and for a single moment, her body was clean and her mind clear. _I… I… can't…_

A huge hiss was heard, echoing across the cave walls like the yell of a wounded dog. Celine's panicked eyes switched back and forth between her machine and the three girls held in limbo. _Come on… Come on… … … !_

The explosion took them all by surprise. Raven and Sakura were hurled back, Beast Boy and Celine thrown too, rolling across the jagged earth. The smoke billowed from the now broken Preparation F. Celine crawled back, on her hands and knees to the smoking device. It was destroyed. The smoke erupted and wrapped about the cave, blinding them all. Huddled together, Sakura pulled Raven to her feet. Raven was shaking.

The smoke whipped and something became terribly apparent. All the smoke hadn't come from the Preparation F device. Most of it came from around the statue… the statue that wasn't there anymore. The heavy air pushed around and flattened out… revealing a shaky, wounded teenage girl. Her blue eyes were trembling as she stared at her hands. _I'm… I'm…_

Beast Boy and Cyborg took a step forward, slowing approaching her.

"Terra? Terra? Are you alright?"

Raven's face turned from Sakura's shoulder, her eyes watering as the blond girl collapsed towards Cyborg. Cyborg gave the falling girl a gentle push and she fell on top of Beast Boy.

"I've got you Terra… I've got you… Everything is going to be okay… I promise."

Robin watched Raven turn her crying face back into Sakura, from his angle he could see that she was still looking at Terra and Beast Boy and Sakura was looking too, but her eyes held disregard. Robin stepped to the two most important women in his life and put his arms around Raven's shoulders. She clutched him as a frightened child would hold a teddy bear.

"You did it Raven… its okay…"

Robin lifted the girl to his arms, her arms wrapped weakly around his neck. She whispered something very gently, he almost missed it. Robin turned to his team, holding Raven close.

"Team… lets go home."

End of Part One

¹Ani-space: Animated pulling something out of thin air

²That phrase isn't important now, but it will be later in the story.


	13. Terra Nostra Part Two

Terra Nostra

Part Two

Unease was not a strong enough word to describe the situation. Out and out hostility better described the feeling floating around the tower. And Terra knew she was right in the middle of it. The flow that the tower had been running on for the last few days seemed to have shattered when the geomancer was brought in. While she was recovering in the medic room, two of the original Titans passed in a meeting, trying to figure out what they were going to do.

As happy and Cyborg and Robin were about being able to save Terra's life, Terra's presence in the tower was having an adverse effect on comradeship. Beast Boy was too pleased to seem to notice the state of unrest in the tower; he spent all day by Terra's side, keeping her company and trying to ease her doubts about being a Titan again. Starfire didn't seem to have an opinion on the subject. Her lack of stance was not due to disinterest, but because she had Blackfire to think about and that was her primary concern. Aqualad and Bumble Bee rode the fence on the situation, they'd never met Terra and both felt out of place to say anything.

That left Celine, Robin, Sakura, Cyborg and Raven. Celine sat across from her boyfriend and Robin, Sakura to her right. The tension was high because Raven wasn't in the room; she hadn't left **her** room for three days. The Titans present knew the reason they were having the meeting was because of the effect Terra's incidence was having on Raven. Robin remembered how light Raven had felt, as if her whole body had been drained. He had held her close before, feeling her heartbeat under his arm or against his chest, but this felt different. This wasn't fear; this wasn't frenzy, shock or surprise. This was terror. Deep in his heart he knew that Raven felt she had made a horrible mistake. It would up to Terra and the rest of the Titans to determine if she was correct.

Robin rested his head in his hands, this was going to be a lose-lose situation. If they kept Terra, the morale of the team would be in limbo, at least for the immediate future. With the end of the world imminent, the team needed to be ready. Raven had trained and prepared her body rigorously for the last few weeks, trying to keep Trigon away from her energy. In her weakened state, who knew what control Trigon could exert over her? She was probably locked in her room deep in mediation as the others pondered what to do… If it were only Raven's distress, making a decision wouldn't have been as difficult. But there were two factors that prevented the Titans from sending Terra away once she was better. The first was her power: she had nearly destroyed the Titans when she saw the desire… being turned away could be her excuse to exercise her way of showing gratitude… with everything else falling on their shoulders, having to handle Terra as well would simply be too much.

_I hope it doesn't come to that… but we've seen how Terra returns friendship…_Robin rubbed his neck and considered the greater issue of having Terra leave…

"Beast Boy…"

Celine and Cyborg nodded and Robin realized he had been thinking out loud.

"He'd never forgive us… and I don't think I could forgive myself either… I mean she gave her life to save the city… that's got to count for something." Cyborg said, leaning forward in his chair.

"If it were that simple, she'd stay." Sakura began. "I know that she means a lot to Beast Boy… but she's hurt you before… she has the capacity to do it again."

"She hurt the team, but so have I… so has Blackfire… so has Raven and Cyborg… for whatever reason or means, we've all broken the trust within the team even if for the greater good… The only one who hasn't… is Beast Boy. He's the faithful one and he'll be the one most devastated if we let her go."

"What about Raven?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, how is Dark Bird dealing with this?" Cyborg asked.

"She isn't taking it well… but I think there's something else behind it. She's been under stress… a number of little things have been flaring emotions in her…" Robin rubbed his brow worriedly.

Sakura got up from her chair. "I think maybe we should check on her. I'll go… I need some air as it is." Sakura walked away.

Cyborg and Celine turned to Robin.

"What I wouldn't do for a super power right now… Foresight would be infinitely better than my biased logic and emotions…"¹

"Being super can sometimes take away the human element… it's your best quality Robin and that's what we need now." Cyborg replied.

"We can't let her go." Celine said.

"It's not a matter of can't letting her go…" Cyborg began.

"It's holding onto her that's the kick." Robin finished.

…

Her body told her something that her eyes couldn't. The world around her had changed and in a big way. The Titans were different than she remembered. It wasn't because there were some faces she didn't know, but because all the faces were faces she didn't know. When she had woken up and found herself in the medic wing she could barely discern up from down and tomorrow from yesterday. Her memories and dreams were jumbled painfully behind her eyes and what made sense didn't seem to anymore.

_But it's been like that my whole life… I've always had bad judgment and recklessness… I guess I can add carelessness and disregard to that as well… _

Beast Boy moved the towel over her forehead, drawing her eyes to his face. _At least one thing is the same, he has the most wonderful smile._

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"Like a mile and a half of unpaved road." Terra replied.

"Is that better or worse than getting sick on the carousel?"

Terra laughed weakly. "Better… I'm glad you're here Beast Boy."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. I'm glad that you're here Terra."

"I bet you're the only one."

"Don't say that…" Beast Boy replied gently. He thought about taking her hand, but instead rested it on her arm.

"Beast Boy, you're a kind person. Maybe you can forgive me for all the terrible things I can do… but the others…"

"There's no maybe about it Terra. I do forgive you and I think if you try to show everyone the good things about you, like you do with me, they'll come to forgive you too."

"What about Raven? I did awful things to her, worse than to anyone else…"

"Raven was the one who freed you. Her and Celine and Sakura used their powers to get you out."

"She did? I… never thought she'd…"

"We've all changed a bit Terra. I'm not the same, neither is Robin, Cyborg, Raven or Star and neither are you… you'll fit right in. I can't promise undying friendship, but at the very least we'll give you honesty and compassion."

"Thank you Beast Boy."

…

Sakura had been prepared for a battle. Walking towards Raven's room was a fight within itself. Four days ago they had brought Terra back to the tower and Raven all but collapsed from exhaustion. Three days ago Raven had locked her door and ignored everyone and everything. No one had seen her or heard a word from her and it was starting to feel unsettling.

Sakura knew that Raven was supposed to do very bad things: that she was born to destroy this world and everyday Raven worked hard to hold back all the demonic energy in her that longed for that day of destruction. Sakura had seen how hard Raven worked; mediation, physical training, entrapping her feelings to keep them stable… she had worked so hard and in a moment of generosity, all her work was torn down.

Sakura knew she was being hard on Terra. She knew she was, but the look on Beast Boy and Celine's faces was not enough to make her forget how the other Titans looked: Cyborg's scrawl, Starfire's restrained smile, that Robin just wouldn't look at the girl… and Raven…

Sakura stood outside of Raven's door and prepared to knock. She had no idea what to say or do. She wasn't even sure if she was the person who should be talking to Raven at all. While she had faced her own demons, had her share of terrible nightmares, what Raven was facing was totally and utterly out of her league.

With her mind made up, Sakura turned to leave when a shriek erupted from Raven's room. Sakura faced the door, panic apparent in her huge brown eyes. "Raven?" Sakura stepped forward and placed a hand on the door. It felt hot, like a fire, but there was no smoke. "Raven! Are you okay?" Sakura pushed at the key pad but the door stayed shut. "Raven, open the door!" Another shriek erupted. Sakura thought only for a second before steadying her feet. She had to get in; something was terribly, terribly wrong. Sakura shifted all her weight behind her fist and slammed her right hand into the door. The moment her fist connected, a blast of dark energy countered and hurled Sakura through the corridor wall.

A stunned Aqualad found Sakura unconscious, the hole made from her body made a new window in his bedroom wall. He picked the girl up, glad to find she was just stunned. Aqualad turned his dark eyes to Raven's room. He could see the dark energy flexing and seeping from her bedroom: it was pulling at the door, keeping it closed tight… Raven's powers were trapping her inside.

Aqualad punched in his communicator. "Titans… We've got trouble."

End of Part Two

A/N

¹Robin would never, ever say that, but I think this line plays to the stress of the situation.


	14. Terra Nostra Part Three

Terra Nostra

Part Three

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat…**_

The energy was out of her control now. After years of forcing it to do what she wanted, the demonic power deep within her had rebelled. It was the day she had prepared for after the Azar had told her all the wicked truths… and for this day she had studied, conquered the rebellion of her body and suppressed every inch of desire, lust, rage, charity and hope… but it seemed that all the meditation in the world couldn't help her, Raven was lost.

The alarm pulled Beast Boy from Terra, ending the moment at whatever it was. The siren was sharp and demanded attention. Their conflict was at home.

"Beast Boy… what's happening?" Terra asked, trying to pull herself to her feet.

"No, stay here. I'll see."

"Maybe I can help!" Terra didn't shake when her feet touched the ground. Beast Boy knew he shouldn't have let her, but he did nothing to stop her from following his dash down the hall.

In the corridor Cyborg's fists were having no effect on the door. The Titans were gathered outside Raven's room, the dark energy whipped at their ankles and drifted into the air.

"RAVEN! RAVEN! Are you okay? Say something!"

Terra turned a worried eye to Beast Boy. "She's in there?" The energy appeared to react to Terra's voice. Some of the random tendrils organized. Terra turned ashen white as the few strands of energy took form. The dark matter whipped about her waist. She leapt back, it might have only been in her mind, but she swore the energy had wrapped around her, constricted… intent to do damage. "I thought she had control of her powers!"

"It would seem something has upset her greatly."¹ Blackfire answered, completely oblivious to the consequences of her words.

"We need to help her! We've got to knock this door down!" Robin's shoulder was becoming raw as he matched Cyborg blow for blow. Celine hurried to her room and retrieved her Fire Fly. On her return, she and Cyborg stood side by side, powers charged to maximum, and unleashed a frenzy of sonic energy against the barrier between the outside world and the fragile state of Raven's mind.

Inside the room was dark save six blue flame candles whose fire refused to give out even as they were hurled around the room in a whirlwind of demonic rage. In the center of the room, floating parallel to the floor was Raven. Her hair swirled as if floating free in water, her brow was tight. She was trying to gain some control. She was failing. In her mind, masses of images; people in pain, people in terror, people consumed in darkness… and at the source of that darkness was Trigon.

Inside her mind she screamed. Inside her mind she tried to save the innocent lives, inside her mind she tried to stop what she had done… but her energy failed her and with every move Trigon's might grew and the terror escalated and Raven became less and less of herself… until she didn't exist anymore.

Trigon's roar echoed through the universe as his power spread as Raven dropped to her knees and faded to nothing.

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat. _**

The wind spun faster and faster. Across her frame the red flashed, but Raven refused to open her eyes, refused to give her body the opportunity to unleash the true depths of her evil. The images came faster. The stone statues crumbled: all her friends, all the people who ever mattered, even Starfire, even Terra, even Celine, even Robin… one by one before the sight of her mind, they crumbled and became the nothing that only she could create.

_No… not while I'm still here… Not while I have something to fight for…_ The power echoed. Pulses of her life force escaped her form. Shadows of her energy radiated from her center in terribly reds, blacks and pure whites. The energy paused and broke as the echoes spread throughout the room. The blue flames trembled and whorled hurriedly as if casting their own spell instead of being under the influence of Raven's terrible power.

_Azarath Metrion--- _

**GIVE IN!** Her four eyes shot open. Her body turned floating her perpendicular but her hair and cape continued to float as if in water. The signs of Scath ran across her limbs, shining brighter than the candles.

_I_ _can't… can't let this happen… I won't do this! _The energy pouring through the darkly lit room responded, recoiling against their path, returning to her body. _I am not going to give up hope… I refuse to…I am… I can… … … I can't!_

_AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!_

A cry distinctly Raven, distinctly in peril, erupted from inside the room. The dark power that had waved across the corridors in a frenzied mad dash seemed to be pulling back… either something really good had happened or something terrible had.

It had taken two pairs of Tameranian eye beams, a flurry of exploding disks, two sonic cannons and a ram from a bull to collapse Raven's door. Robin ran in immediately. Inside he shielded his face from the swinging candles, black powder and bound tablets.

…

And he watched… his eye trained on the swarm of demonic energy. He smiled coolly. "Almost beautiful. Wait for me dear girl. That power has great potential… and I know that'll **you'll** never let me down again."

…

His masked eyes watched Raven float near the ceiling of the room, perfectly still, marked in red… dressed in white.

"RAVEN!" Robin called, he knew she could hear him, somehow in his heart he knew that inside that terrible energy was Raven; the girl who needed him most, the girl he needed more than he could admit.

The black energy shot through Robin. He flinched in surprise, but felt no pain. The energy wrapped around him and pulled him closer and closer to the center of the room, to the center of the universe, where he could lift his arms and grasp Raven's hips and pull her back to him, back to the rest of the world. When her arms fell on his shoulders the black energy recoiled from down the corridors of the tower, back into her room, back into her heart.

"Raven. Are you okay?"

"I… beat it…"

"Beat what?" Robin asked, easing the collapsing girl to the floor. It surprised him to see her smiling, that beautiful smile like when they sat on the beach all those years ago. The rest of the Titans stepped forward to hear.

"Raven. What did you beat?"

"My destiny. I will not be Trigon's portal."

"I never had a doubt Raven. You're too good to do something that bad."

"I'm still bad…" Raven whispered and her colors shifted back to the dark blues and black. "But I won't be evil… I have control now."²

Robin gripped her hand. Raven pressed her head into the hollow of his neck and shoulder. The other Titans gave a sigh of relief. Celine ushered the other Titans out, not even Starfire was reluctant to go, lest she impair whatever is was that was going on between friend Raven and friend Robin.

…

In the thinning moments of daytime, Terra stepped onto the beach and raised her arms. That glow, that energy that came from within her, twisted in her palms and commanded the earth to quake. The world rumbled and roared weakly and only for a few moments before the energy gave out. Terra stared at her hands in disbelief. She gritted her teeth. A cry escaped her lips³ as the wind from the earth lifted her hair. Concentrating, Terra found her power again. The rocks and boulders twirled and crumbled at her will and against it, and finally fell back the earth when the Geomancer's sad dance was over.

"It was all his power… None of the control was mine… I'm the same as when I first met the team. They've all changed and I'm the same."

…

Celine entered Starfire's room carrying a thick stack of paper. The green eyed Tameranian princess was staring at the floor of her room, where Blackfire's futon was prepared, where the black haired girl was sleeping. Celine waited over Star for a few minutes before she coughed. Starfire pulled her eyes away and accepted the papers.

"That's all the information I could gather about the Grugdindorf. I'll look again tomorrow for anything else I can pull up. The Yinti appear to be technologically advanced. I bet I could learn a thing of two from them."

Starfire did not respond. Celine sat down on the bed beside Starfire and tried to think of something to say. "I only know bits and pieces of your situation Star and it may not be my place to say… but, I think your sister did this for more than personal reasons. When the Yinti perform their 'returner technology' they design a key, to tell them what they wish to accomplish from their Grugdindorf. Perhaps you should ask Blackfire to look at hers."

Celine didn't wait for a response. Star looked at the papers in her lap as Celine left the Tameranians' bedroom. Star pushed the pile onto the bed and laid flat. Celine did not know the difficulties of her situation. _Friend Raven is not the only one with fragile trust…_

That same night Terra returned to her room; her old room, where all the things the Titans had given her were. When she turned the knob she found Sakura and Celine sitting on twin beds and a very angry wolf growling at her. Terra stepped back and shielded her face from an attack.

"Loberos! Come!" The blue wolf turned its back to Terra and retreated into the room. He leapt silently onto the bed with his mistress, eyes trained towards the door. "Sorry about that, Terra. Loberos doesn't like people. He still snorts at Sakura."

"It's okay…"

"Is there something you need?" Celine asked rising to her feet. Sakura turned her face towards the door for the first time since Terra had entered. There was a look on her face that Terra didn't like. She had seen that look, it seemed, a million times before. Distrust.

"I was just tired and I wanted to sleep in my bed."

Celine and Sakura said nothing. They had been living in the room for weeks and it occurred to neither one of them that with Terra's return would come the reverting of things: that Celine and Sakura would leave and Terra would take over the room.

"Terra, this isn't your room anymore." Sakura said flatly.

"Sakura, don't be mean. I'm sure we can make space, it is rather big… but Sakura's right. This is our room."

"I understand… I mean my bed's not even in here anyway so… it's not going to be the same. You can stay. I'll take the guest room." Terra turned to leave, but the older girls couldn't just let her walk away.

"Terra." Sakura finally said. Terra stopped and looked at the older girl. "If you need anything, the door's always open." Terra nodded, but closed the door behind her anyway.

The shift in players at the tower was beginning to take effect. While Raven and Robin were drifting towards each other; Starfire and the team seemed to be moving further and further away. Starfire might have seen it coming, if she weren't looking the other way. She took to spending every moment she could with Blackfire, trying to find some clue to why she had done what she had done.

Blackfire adjusted better than the other Titans had expected. It seemed easier to forgive Blackfire than it was to forgive Terra. Blackfire fought in battles against foes she'd never heard of, risked her well being to protect the city and was obviously the darling of Aqualad's eye. The two were often seen walking together along the water, Aqualad stepping right on top of the ocean as if it were land. He'd watch the way Blackfire's hair was pulled across her shoulder by the wind that came from over the water and he would say nothing. For all his talent and charm, when it came to Blackfire, Aqualad couldn't find his charisma, they'd walk together in silence and Aqualad hoped that she wouldn't get bored with him. To the rest of the Titans it appeared that he needn't worry.

But while things became steadily better for the memory-stripped Tameranian princess, it became apparent that the feeling of welcome didn't imply totally to Terra.

In the tower, Raven made great efforts to avoid Terra. The two had said all of seven words to each other and it suited Terra just fine. She knew what she had done, she knew that she didn't deserve Raven's forgiveness, but as hard as she tried to tell herself otherwise, it still stung when Raven fled the room.

That pain spilled over into battle.

End of Part Three

A/N

¹ Because of the changes I'm going to make in her character, Blackfire's words/speech will be more like Starfire's.

² What Raven's says and what she really is aren't necessarily the same thing.

³ "Laaaa!" – still weird. Still every inch Terra.


	15. Terra Nostra Part Four

Terra Nostra

Part Four

Celine was the only one making an effort on all fronts to keep everyone happy. Maybe that's why she was so distracted from her work… maybe that's why she wasn't making as much progress as the AGU would have liked… maybe that was why she was drifting further and further away from Cyborg…

Maybe it was because he had gone so long without her; he had grown accustomed to laying in bed alone with just a memory. _But wasn't absence supposed to make the heart grow fonder? _ Cyborg spun a coin along the table. _Or was the saying, 'out of sight, out of mind'?_ Even as he loved her, even as he held her in his arms, when she waited for him, like eternity in every breath… He watched Celine moving about the kitchen, fixing lunch. Her red hair was pulled up, she rarely did that, he had always liked to watch her hair fly in the breeze. And she knew that. Cyborg reached up absently and touched the spot on his metallic build that hid where a small, half heart shaped tattoo used to be. It had been a long time since Cyborg had touched his parts and felt cold… Cyborg knew the spark was gone.

Cyborg's head slammed onto the table. Beside him, Beast Boy collapsed as well. "Man! I'm so bored! There's absolutely nothing to do!"

Celine shook her head at the darling changeling and continued to prepare lunch. She had a suspicion that Cyborg was watching her, but he was always difficult to read. "Beast Boy, if you're so bored why don't you read a book? I've got a new one on the principles of quantum mechanics. I just got it yesterday and I'm almost done."

"Umm… Celine, I want to lessen my boredom. Not all of us are huge ner---"

Before Beast Boy could finish his sentence, but long after Cyborg had taken cover, a flurry of kitchen utensils and food stuffs were thrown at Beast Boy. Some missed, but most hit dead on. After three seconds Beast Boy was covered in more tofu dishes than he could identify.

Flames seemed to spontaneously generate behind Celine's figure as she towered over Beast Boy. Beast Boy shrunk to the size of a newborn puppy under her wrathful glare. "I am not a nerd! Nerds are socially awkward and target to reticule by their peers! I'm gifted! People like me!" Celine stormed out of the room leaving a speechless Beast Boy covered in what was supposed to be his lunch.

Cyborg slyly leaned over, shielding his mouth with one hand. "Did I forget to mention that being called a nerd is one of Celine's buttons?"

"Yeah… Thanks."

As Celine stormed down the hall, she passed Sakura and Robin who were walking towards the common room in an animated chat.

"So you trained with the true master too?"

"Yep." Robin replied.

"How long did it take you to realize it was the old woman?" Sakura asked.

"When she told me… you?"

"After the snake. There was no way that Chu-hui was going to make it up that mountain unless she was exceptional."

As the two rattled on, Starfire approached them in the opposite direction. Her head was in a stack of papers. She wasn't looking where she was going and caught her shoulder against Robin's. The Boy Wonder was thrown off balance; Star's strength was not limited to her limbs.

"Starfire! What's wrong? You've been acting a bit strange the last few days." Robin stated, pointing a finger in her direction. That finger went limp and his face deflated when Star continued walking as if she hadn't heard him.

"Robin! What did you do to her?" Sakura asked, just as surprised by Starfire's display as her younger brother was.

"Me? I didn't do anything to her!" Robin protested.

"That's right… you haven't **said** or **done **anything to her in days. I know you and Raven are becoming very close, but you have to have realized the way Starfire looks at you."

Robin felt a tremor run up and down his back. He turned slowly to face Sakura who waited with her hands on her hips.

"What are you talking about? I know that I haven't been spending as much time with Starfire as I used to but that doesn't mean Raven and I are becoming… close…. We're just…"

Sakura was not buying it and Robin knew it. His shoulders slumped, arms dangling limply at his sides. "It's that obvious?"

"Oh yeah. I think the Dark Bird is the only one who doesn't see it."

Robin sank to the floor. "She's supposed to be extremely sensitive to this… why doesn't she know?"

Sakura squatted down beside Robin. "Because you haven't told her."

"I don't want to tell her!"

"Yes you do." Sakura replied.

"Yes I do… Sakura, help."

Sakura sprung to her full height. "Me? What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know… help?"

"With what experience? I spent the last five years in a monastery!"

"But you're still a girl! What do I need to do… to let her know… ya' know… that I'm alive."

"I'm pretty sure she's got that much down. Start simple, be yourself and don't get all awkward. Right now you have a pretty good thing going; just keep it moving in that direction. Randomly buy her flowers. Do you know what kind she likes?"

"No."

"Snapdragons.¹" Sakura pressed on. "Get her a CD! Music is always good! Do you know her favorite song?"

Robin shook his head in the negative.

"Unintended! How about her favorite band?"

"Umm."

"Muse, you jerk! Don't you know anything about the girl?"

"I know that she deserves a wonderful future, I know that despite what she says she dreams about the rest of her life. I know that she's capable of feeling something good and I know how I feel… Doesn't that count for something?"

"I wish it did." Robin face vaulted. Sakura took up her squat again, poking Robin with her index finger. He brushed her away, but he didn't remove his face from the carpet. Sakura sighed.

"Start with the flowers. I'd suggest you work into the rest a little at a time. She's probably just as nervous in this dance step as you are."

"I know she can't dance." Robin offered, voiced muffled by the carpet.

"Yes she can… just play the right song."

"Sakura, I've danced with---"

"Metaphors are lost on you, aren't they?"

Robin pulled his face from the carpet and thought for a moment. Sakura walked away.

…

"Does Raven talk to you?"

The question caught Blackfire by surprise. She turned to Terra, her face unable to hide her confusion.

"Why would Raven not wish to speak to me?"

Terra crossed her arms over her small chest and regarded the black haired alien. She was going to ask her more, but at that moment Starfire entered the room and ruined whatever privacy Terra was hoping for. Blackfire stood up and approached Starfire.

"Sister… Is something bothering you?"

Starfire slowly lowered herself to her knees, laying the packet of papers against her bed. She had been searching, for days and days and days for something about the Grugdindorf that would tell her anything about what had become of her sister. But everything that Celine had given her only told her what she already knew. Blackfire had chosen to have her memories thieved away, had given up all her rights to herself and left her remaining self vulnerable to everything and everyone. There should have been a key somewhere; a message that would remind Blackfire of what she wanted to do after encountering the Yinti people. But Blackfire didn't have it, didn't ever recall getting one and couldn't be coerced into remembering no matter how forcefully Starfire requested.

"Where is your key?" Starfire asked.

"My key? We do not have keys to the towers… were they given out when I was away?"

"Do not make jokes!"

Terra watched the conversation unravel, or not unravel as was the case, and couldn't ignore the urge to creep away unnoticed. She had made it all of four steps, three more from the door, when the alarm went off. _Whatever bad guy it is will be a million times better than an alien princess throw down._

All Titans present raced to the center of the downtown area. Cyborg, Terra, Starfire and Aqualad rode in near silence as Robin's R-cycle kicked into gear. Sakura held onto Robin's waist with one arm, the other securing her weapon to her back. The motor purred as their dash took more and more ground. Blackfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Bumble Bee took to the sky, listening for Celine's commands as she readied her station.

"The Jump Science museum, home of one of the world's largest magnifying glasses, had their security alarm tripped. Most villains would have knocked the lights out to make their escape unnoticed. This one turned them all up."

"Dr. Light." Robin replied. He turned his eye to the sky and saw that Raven's hood was pulled up. It was too far away to tell if she was grimacing, but he knew she was. Dr. Light was her own personal Scarecrow².

Finding Dr. Light was easy. He was lumbering, trying to carry the fragile machinery. The lens was easily nine feet tall. From his slow steps, it was apparently very heavy.

"But it will all be worth it!" Dr. Light exclaimed. "This lens will allow me to magnify the Sun's energy and destroy every trace of shadow in the world!"

Raven landed two feet away from Dr. Light and wrapped her energy around the lens, pulling it from his grasp. Dr. Light seemed confused until he watched the lens float to Raven's side. "This is really getting old." She stated.

"Raven!" Dr. Light screamed aghast.

"Did you NOT think we'd show up?"

Dr. Light laughed. "Of course I did!" Dr. Light pushed a switch and Raven could only watch in shock as the lens' protective sheath opened and shot a net out, catching Raven in it. Her energy retreated but a slick white beam wrapped around the lens and pulled it back to Dr. Light.

"Light beats Dark every time."

"You haven't beaten us yet Dr. Light!" Robin yelled as he turned his motorcycle, the back wheel spinning. Sakura leapt off the back of the bike, turning her body so she could throw her weapon. The boomerang chased Dr. Light, running a path of controlled destruction. Dr. Light swallowed hard, eyes wide with terror. He dropped to the floor and the hiraikotsu flew over his head. Beast Boy, in pterodactyl form, swept in and retrieved the lens. Cyborg charged then, forgetting the fundamental quality of a boomerang: no matter where it goes, it always comes back. The giant boomerang slammed into the mechanical Titan, hurling him back and throwing the hiraikotsu off its path. Sakura turned her head for a moment to watch the path of her weapon. Dr. Light leapt to his feet and used his light whip as a snake, throwing it underground. The end of the beam emerged, wrenched around Sakura's left ankle and sunk the girl into the ground nearly half a foot. Sakura let out a surprised shout.

"A little help!" Sakura called to the geomancer at her side. Sakura's voice broke Terra's stun. She pulled the earth in a giant mass, lifting Sakura and the earth away from the street. Blackfire's blackbolt³ crumbed the mass and Sakura fell to the ground.

Robin and Aqualad charged forward, Robin attacking with an aerial front kick and Aqualad with a diving drop kick, aimed to take out Dr. Light's footing. Dr. Light leapt out of the Robin's path but was still skimmed by Aqualad's kick. Caught off balance, purple eye beams that had dragged several feet of the street in front of him collided with his chest.

"Alright Blackfire!" Bumble Bee yelled. The dust began to settle and the celebration ended. Dr. Light's shield had reacted in time. The purple energy barely brushed the shield and the delay allowed him to send his own energy clasp back, knocking Blackfire into Beast Boy who dropped the lens.

The team scurried to catch the lens. With all their attentions on the falling glass, no one was watching Dr. Light. The energy beam hit the lens at just the right angle to refract in a million different points, at least one striking every Titan. Robin and Raven struggled to their feet and listened for Celine's advice. The rest of the Titans stalled and Dr. Light's energy whips coiled around the lens and pulled it back to him.

"Even outnumbered, Light topples all obstacles." A huge boulder quickly shut him up. It was only by a hair that the rock flashed across Dr. Light's face rather than into it.

"Terra! Be careful! We don't want to hurt the lens!" Celine yelled through their communicators. "Titans, we need to get the lens away from Dr. Light and somewhere safe. Star, Blackfire get the lens. Robin, Aqualad and Raven take down Light!" Celine ordered.

In theory the assault tactic was perfect. As the Tameranians swept in, Raven took to the sky. The dark matter collected around her fists. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" An energy field collapsed around Dr. Light and pulled the flaying evil doctor off the ground. Starfire and Blackfire had made it all of twenty feet when two lines of light energy struck them in the back. Both girls collapsed and only by luck did Bumble Bee and Cyborg save the lens from crashing into the earth below. Another line of light spiraled around Raven's force, traveling up the cylinder of energy that connected her to the might she exerted on Dr. Light. The energy constricted around the dark wizardress. Raven screamed in pain.

"Sakura! Terra! Take down Light! Cyborg get Raven!" Celine's fingers dashed across her key board. Dr. Light wasn't a difficult opponent, why was this battle so difficult? Why were the strategies failing?

Sakura dashed to retrieve her weapon as Terra pulled the Earth under her and rode it straight to Dr. Light. Noticing her approach, Dr. Light released his hold on Raven and shot a beam at Terra's boulder, shattering it under her feet. Raven and Terra hit the ground at approximately the same time. Terra got up immediately; her eyes took their yellow fury. A swarm of rocks rose around her, spinning in a frightful pace. The turning created a tornado around her, expanding the closer she came to Dr. Light.

The backlash knocked the Titans to the ground. Cars were mangled; light posts were ripped from the cement. Dr. Light stepped back in shock. "Who are you? What are you doing?"

"I'm ending this!" Terra replied. She unleashed her power, the efflux making a crater under her feet. The tornado's power flexed and waned. Beast Boy shielded his eyes and stood. _She can't control her powers!_

"Be careful! Terra! Stop!" Celine called. She didn't register the command and continued to stalk forward, one hand extended to do harm on Dr. Light.

"Terra!" Beast Boy yelled, trying to get the girl to listen. The boulders and stones flung about hazardously, smashing windows and into the bodies of Robin and Bumble Bee. Raven took to her feet and unleashed her Soul Self, the dark form of her body⁴ entered the whirlwind on Terra's power and approached the geomancer. The black energy wrapped its arms around Terra and the blonde girl's power flexed than disintegrated in a matter of seconds. The winds cooled and the earth returned to its place. The swift strike of the giant boomerang cut down an off-guard Dr. Light.

Sakura caught her weapon, breathing hard. All the Titans were. Raven stepped forward to where Terra was laying flat on her back. The blonde girl struggled to sit up, tiny stones split in half with her exertion. Terra gasped and turned around when she felt a heavy shadow over her. Her eyes couldn't conceal her freight, even though it was Raven's shadow, Terra was terribly afraid. Raven's long hair fell over her left shoulder. The wind was perfectly still, perfectly prepared to deliver Raven's words. **_Gain Control._** Terra swallowed hard and bit back tears. Raven offered out her hand and, shaken, Terra accepted it. The blonde girl dusted herself off. The other Titans gradually pulled themselves together. Cyborg assessed the lens; it had a few cosmetic damages, nothing he couldn't fix.

"Titans, what happened?" Celine asked as the Titans returned to the tower. The Titans saw the damage their fight had done to Celine's control center, one machine looked totally fried. It was the energy gauge. Terra and Raven's powers had been too much for it.

"Oh man! That looks nasty!" Beast Boy commented. He touched the panel. A random arch of electricity shocked him. The green changeling 'eep'ed and dove behind Celine.

"It's not as bad as it looks…" Celine said, turning her body to face the team. "But that battle showed us something. We need to work on how we use our abilities together. If we're going to fight as a team, as a functional team, we need to work better together."

"Agreed." Robin said. "Tomorrow, eight AM, we're going to train."

The team nodded and left to retire. Terra followed Raven back to her bedroom, trying to work up the nerve to speak to her. She fretted until just before Raven stepped forward to command her door open.

"Raven!" Terra called. The purple haired girl stopped. Her pale face turned slightly in profile to let Terra know she was listening. "I… I wanted to say thank you… thank you for helping me… And I will… I'll get better."

Raven said nothing. Her head dropped in a smooth nod. She continued walking forward. Terra couldn't take that to be the end.

"Raven! Stop! Listen to me!"

"I've done that enough for a lifetime." Raven replied, still refusing to look at her.

"But! You've got to give me another chance!"

"I am… I could have taken away all your strength Terra. I could have forgotten what you mean to Beast Boy and hurt you. But I didn't. I took **control** of my power--"

"I know I have a lot of work to do, but!"

"There are no buts Terra. You were dangerous. You could have seriously hurt someone."

It was that same line. The same sentiment from the first time they fought together after Terra's absence. It was still Raven better than Terra; it was still Terra needing to prove herself. Terra wanted to scream at Raven that she wasn't being fair; that she didn't have enough time, that she didn't have enough opportunity to practice. But she knew that would fall on deaf ears, even in her mind it sounded like a weak argument.

"I can do better." Terra finally admitted.

"I know you can." Even though the words should have been of encouragement, in Terra's ears she heard a sneer, heard disbelief, she heard distrust. And she couldn't take it for one more second.

"Where's the warm compassion I was promised?"

"Look somewhere else… you won't get it from me." Raven still did not turn to face Terra.

"Raven… I know I did terrible things and I'm sorry. I want to do better and be a part of the team! Why won't you-"

Raven turned, faster than Terra knew a person could, and stared at her with hard purple eyes. Terra leapt back in freight, slamming backwards into the wall as Raven glared at her. The anger was etched into her face, dark power determined to escape.

"Trust you? Was that what you were going to say? You're asking **me** why I don't trust **you**? You tried to destroy us! You deceived me! You hurt Beast Boy and Robin! You betrayed us!" It was almost a scream. Terra could tell that she was endanger of being struck down by Raven's rage. But at least Raven was talking to her; at least she had something else besides cold disregard. Terra stepped forward and met Raven toe to toe.

"What about Blackfire? Star told me how she betrayed you, but you forgave her!"

"Blackfire is different."

"Why? Why is Blackfire different?"

"Because Blackfire proved that she's capable of regret."

"What do you want from me? To go to some other planet and erase my memory? To pretend that nothing happened? To make you responsible for all our memories? I said I was sorry! What more do you want?"

"I want you to act like you mean it!" Raven turned away from the smaller girl sharply. She pulled her hood up, leaving her fingers at the edges of the material. "Do you think I can just forget everything?"

"No... but… could you try?"

Terra watched Raven's back, wishing she could see through that dark cloak. She wanted to run and stand in front of Raven and force her to look her in the eye. But she was afraid of what she would find there. Finally Raven spoke.

"I want you to prove that I'm wrong in my doubts about you."

"How… How do I do that?"

"Tomorrow before the training session, Sakura and I are going to meditate. Be there and be ready to give it all that you've got."

_You're going to throw me into the water and see if I can swim…_Terra thought.

"No," Raven replied. Terra flinched in surprise. She knew that Raven could read her mind; she just didn't know that she **did**. Raven's door slid open. "I'm going to throw you off a bridge and see if you can fly." Raven stepped into her room and the door slid closed behind her. Terra stood in that exact spot for a few minutes, just staring at the door. Finally she gave up, not sure what it was exactly she was waiting for, and went to bed. She had a world of work ahead of her. Raven would make sure of it.

End of Part Four

A/N

¹A reference to my personal favorite fan fiction "To Take A Dare" by Serena4. If you haven't read it, READ IT!

²Refer to IGN's best and worst Batman villains. This will all make perfect sense.

³Starfire has Starbolts, so I guess Blackfire has Blackbolts.

⁴Just like she did in The End Part One


	16. Say Your Name Part One

Say Your Name

Part One

It was five o'clock in the morning but he knew that she'd be up. If she wasn't pacing around steadily in her bedroom, he'd find her in the control room staring out at the landscape of Jump.

Taking his long steps, he listened for all the movement not coming from his body. To his right he could hear the snores of Star and Blackfire. To this left was the slush and splash of Aqualad's rolling to his side. If he listened very closely he could hear Raven breathing, slowly, rhythmically. He could set his clock to her dreams… _If only I knew what they were._

Robin finished his stride into the common room and sure enough Celine was working on her energy gauge. A rather thick manual was propped on the output monitor, screws and tools were arranged delicately as the brown skinned girl made her adjustments.

"Omicron! Do you ever sleep?" Robin asked, not surprised in the slightest when she didn't flinch.

"Sleep is for the weak." Celine replied, giving the panel a few more screws, tightening the last of the bolts. She returned her tools to her kit before turning to face him.

"I made the adjustments to the training course like you asked. I also upgraded the field to adjust for the variants in everyone's abilities. There's a special course for those with and without flight, high martial arts and hand to hand combat training, magic and energy based power sets. I don't know how good an idea this is but I also generated combat situations, putting pairs in distinct situations where they need to rely on each other… Star and Blackfire have one, Sakura and Terra another… and then another one for Terra and Raven."

"As much as neither of them are going to like it, we'll need to have that one in their training regiments… at least until they can stand to be in the same room together."

"Terra seems to be making an effort…"Celine offered, pulling her kit to her shoulder.

"Looks can be deceiving… And Raven is trying as well… she hasn't taken the opportunity to hurt Terra… and Raven isn't one for delayed gratification."

"It was very bad wasn't it?"

Robin nodded and sat down on the floor. Celine followed suit, smoothing out her grey skirt. "No one had ever hurt us like that… Even when I… when I was Slade's apprentice, I was reserved… I never wanted to hurt the team… I wanted to protect them… But with Terra… she systematically sought us out, took our friendship for weakness and left us all wounded."

"But she had the ability to destroy you… and she failed every time… could that have been reserve?"

Robin shook his head. "No… she didn't have the power to destroy us. She could hurt us… but she couldn't break us. Starfire was too resilient. I was too determined. Cyborg and Beast Boy refused to accept defeat…"

"And Raven?"

"And Raven couldn't let the last thing she saw in the world be a look of hatred. She has done too much good to be regarded that way anymore… Raven was the one who protected us against Terra, she wouldn't let us down.¹ I remember when Terra's last attack was going to crush me, I could feel Raven beneath me, pulling me under the shield of her wing…"

"Terra did terrible things to you… how do you forgive her?"

"How do you?" Robin asked, turning the question back on Celine. Celine reeled then turned her eyes away.

"I guess because I'd like to think that we're all capable of making up for our mistakes… Beast Boy had me convinced that Terra was really a good person when she wasn't Slade's apprentice."

"Maybe that's why I do too… Because someone I care about can take the risk of letting her back in… I don't think what happened before can happen again… but then again, I've never been a good judge of what is and what isn't possible."

"I'd say otherwise but you obviously know something I don't know… But what I do know is that you didn't come in here to talk to me about the obstacle course. That could have waited until after day break."

"You're right. I need to ask you something. I want to get Raven her favorite flowers…"

"Snapdragons aren't in season right now." Celine said, interrupting him.

"Did Sakura talk to you?"

"About what?" Celine asked, blinking her doe eyes.

Robin sweat dropped. Celine remained confused.

"Never mind. Anyways, you're right, Snapdragons aren't in bloom. They won't be in season for months. But I don't want to wait months." Robin admitted.

"And you want me to engineer a variety that will bloom in the next few days?"

Robin nodded.

"For a guy with tons of sophisticated toys, you don't know anything about science do you? Do you guys think I'm the go-to girl for all your outrageously impossible requests?"

Robin nodded. Celine's tool kit slammed into his head. Robin keeled over backwards, stars circling his head. He sat up, clutching his face in his fingers, a square red bruise obvious behind his hands. Celine wore a cross over her glare.

"I'm the smartest woman in the world Robin, not a genie."

"Does that mean you can't do it?" Robin asked, face still throbbing.

"There's nothing I can't do." Celine sighed and thought for a moment. "I'll pull all the strings I can to get this done for you… but its going to take at least a month."

Robin nodded. _By then I'll have the nerve to give them to her._

…

Terra collapsed forward, breaking the circle. Her chest expanded painfully as she gasped for air. The sweat stung her eyes and if not for the pain in her throat she would have cried out in frustration.

Sakura and Raven recoiled their energy, the white and black power seeped back into their conscious state. Sakura turned to address Raven, Raven shook her head. She already knew.

The two watched as Terra tried to regain herself. They both considered easing the girl's transition back into the state of the body, but knew it would be better if she fought that struggle unassisted. At least until they felt like she deserved that help.

Terra had no idea mediation was so painful. She had seen Raven do it before, but always thought Raven was just sitting really still. She didn't know that Raven was suppressing all the power within her body when she floated as still as moon in the dark sky.

Outside the sun was rising, highlighting Terra's hair as she pitched forward. Sakura couldn't stand the sight anymore. She reached a hand across the void between them and touched Terra's head, her Holy running through her. Terra's breathing evened out and finally her blue eyes opened again.

"You do that to get your powers under control?" Terra asked.

"Yes, that's what mediation is. Challenging your mind with every power your body has. It's recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of both. The harder it is, the weaker they are."

Terra swallowed and looked at Raven who looked back at her with absolutely no emotion in her face; not compassion, not concern, not hate or even dislike.

_Raven will never forgive me or learn to trust me again if she can't see me as a person… I can get stronger Raven, you'll see._

"I'm stronger than both of you know." Terra finally said.

Sakura said nothing and Raven refused to let her face betray her feelings. Terra didn't wait for them change their minds, their stares said everything she needed to know.

"If you really want to help me, you don't have to bully me." Terra whispered. She was angry. She **had **done terrible things in the past, but that didn't mean they could walk all over her.

"We're holding ourselves back to help you Terra. This is my compassion that you desire… if you don't want it, you can leave. But don't you dare say **I** gave up on **you**."

Terra bit her lip. She had almost made up her mind when Celine's voice called through their communicators. "Titans, training begins in five minutes. Meet in training ground A for preliminary exercises."

By the time Starfire ran through the obstacle course, the path was trashed beyond reorganization. It was apparent that a gorilla, the Boy Wonder, the demigod of the sea, an empath and a Tameranian powerhouse were too much for the course to take. That left Sakura, Blackfire, Terra, and Bumble Bee without a run through.

"What a jip! I wanted to see what Sakura could do!" Beast Boy wailed.

"Not today, this course needs a serious upgrade… I thought I had prepared for the worst of it…" Celine rubbed her head trying to figure out whether it was the Starbolts or exploding disks that took the course to the ground. Cyborg sprouted up behind her.

"You're getting sloppy Omicron." He posited. Celine could almost hear the cheekiness of his grin.

Fire erupted from Celine's head. Her shoulders remained in place as her head turned to face Cyborg. "What did you say?" Cyborg sputtered then took off in a mad dash, willing to run anywhere, as long as it was away from the girl genius.

"Well, I don't see why we can't still train." Bumble Bee responded.

"How's that?"

"Well, Sakura, Terra, Blackfire and I can spar. There's enough space in the training room I suppose." Bumble Bee replied.

"I don't know if that's a good idea…"Robin stated, looking from his sister to Bumble Bee and Blackfire.

"Why not? Sakura won't get hurt." Bee responded, turning her hips.

"It's not me he's worried about." Sakura replied. She adjusted the strap that bore her hiraikotsu.

"You think you can take all of us?" Bee asked, raising a sleek eyebrow.

Robin stepped between the two girls. "Let's not do this. Bumble Bee, trust me… fighting my sister is not a good idea." Robin muttered something in her general direction.

"Huh?"

"She'd crush you like a…" Robin felt Bee's shadow tower over him. He didn't dare finish his sentence.

"If you wanna spar Bee, that's fine with me. Just don't hold anything back… I'm not going to."

"You're on."

Robin muttered something that sounded distinctly like "your funeral" and stepped off to the side where Cyborg was tapping out to the half nelson Celine had him in. The other Titans backed away as Sakura and Bumble Bee squared each other up.

Blackfire turned to her sister. "I do not understand. They are friends… why would they desire to fight?" Something about the way Blackfire spoke reminded Starfire of something, something that should have come to her mind easily, but instead was frazzled by her worries. Blackfire became concerned when Starfire didn't answer.

"Don't worry Blackfire," Aqualad said. "They aren't trying to hurt each other. They're just practicing. It's just another way to get better."

"Oh… thank you Aqualad."

Aqualad blushed red and stuttered out a "you're welcome" before collapsing onto himself in embarrassment.

In the center of the training arena, Sakura readied herself. The moment Bumble Bee twitched a muscle; Sakura shifted all her weight to the balls of her feet and dashed forward. Her elbow slammed into Bumble Bee's breadbasket. Bee crumbled to the ground. The rest of the team grimaced.

Bumble Bee pulled herself together and delivered a frenzy of Bee Stings². Each one ricocheted off of Sakura's barrier. Sakura charged forward in a swift combo, striking out with a tomahawk club, smashing her shoulder into Bumble Bee's chest.³ Bumble Bee was thrown back several feet and didn't get up.

"Next?"

Blackfire was not volunteering her services. Terra stood up and marched up to Sakura, stopping with several feet in front of the older girl. Sakura took an offensive stance.

"You're not that tough." Terra said.

"I beg to differ."

_You will beg…_ Terra cracked her knuckles. "You may be good at martial arts, but you can't match the anger of the land."

Sakura smirked. "I'm not going to hold anything back. That will be my compassion."

Terra was not going to let Sakura have the last word. "Laaa!" The earth was torn beneath Sakura's feet, the ground quaking and splitting apart. Sakura leapt across the chasm Terra created and landed a foot in front of the blond girl. Terra's fist soared over Sakura's head as she dodged the blow. Sakura rose quickly bringing an uppercut and a rising knee, both striking Terra, knocking her back. Sakura leapt into the air, leapfrogging, intent to land her boots squarely in Terra's chest. Terra rolled quickly and threw several stones at Sakura. She weaved about them smoothly. Terra used the time to gather the land beneath her, drawing a stone to glide through the air. Just as Sakura drew back her arm to hurl her hiraikotsu, a hand made of earth snaked from the ground and grabbed her ankle, tossing her off balance.

Terra's riding stone dashed forward to take advantage. Sakura wasn't fazed. She put up a barrier that rebounded Terra's charge. When Terra rolled to reset herself, Sakura drew her left fist into a ball and with a downward punch shattered the earth around her leg. Sakura tumbled out of the path of several rock shards. A jump kick knocked Terra from her stone, the girl rolled several feet from the impact. Sakura jammed her weapon into the earth and charged at Terra again, a flurry of kicks and punches, uppercuts and sweeps took Terra to the ground. Terra slammed face first into the ground. She had been beaten. She gritted and sunk her fingers into the cold soil. But Terra didn't make a move to stand.

Sakura pushed a lock of black hair from her face. She tumbled backwards, back flips, flip-flops and step outs completed in perfect form. She waited for Terra to get up, but she didn't. Terra turned a dirty face back to Sakura, a sneer etched across her features. She got to her knees then staggered to her feet. Beast Boy ran to her side.

"Terra! Are you okay?" He helped her stand. Beast Boy motioned Terra to sit by Raven to heal her wounds, but she refused. Limping she left arena. "Terra!" Beast Boy called after her.

"Don't follow me!" She demanded as the door closed behind her.

Blackfire turned to Aqualad. "I thought no one would get hurt."

"Pride doesn't count."

Blackfire seemed to ingest Raven's words and made up her mind to step in for her training.

"Blackfire? Are you sure you want to try? I'm not going to hold back." Sakura said.

Blackfire nodded. "Training makes you better… You learn as much from your defeats as from your victories."

Again, Starfire felt like she had heard those words before. They rung familiar, but it wasn't from Blackfire she had first heard it. It was something she should be able to identify, but her mind felt like a Zorbian blartex, the excess glurp was not a pleasant feeling.

Starfire watched her older sister step closer to Sakura.

The first blow caught Blackfire off guard. Sakura's lashing fist slammed into the armor plate of her chest. Blackfire's eye beams came faster than Sakura could block, knocking the black haired martial artist halfway across the arena. She skid to a stop, realizing Blackfire had separated her from her weapon. Sakura rolled over her shoulders just in time to avoid a blizzard of Blackbolts. She flipped and turned in what seemed to be a random pattern. The energy claps trailed her until Sakura shifted gears and catapulted herself from a wall, elevating her just high enough tackle Blackfire. The two rolled until Sakura could lift both her heels into Blackfire's chest, sending the girl over her head. Blackfire bounced just once before taking flight. She was out of Sakura's range. A short battle cry escaped the girl as she unleashed her eye beams again; tearing a furrow though the ground until the beams reached Sakura's feet.

The dust kicked up and blocked Blackfire's view. The glow from her eyes faded as she looked for sight of Sakura. The dust settled revealing Sakura where she was, protected by a silver barrier. Sakura uncrossed her arms, the barrier dissipated. She drew her hands back in a ball shape. A glassy globe of energy generated in the space. Blackfire's eyes widened as Sakura threw the energy at her.

Blackfire crossed her arms over her face to shield herself. A bubbly spray splashed across her arms.

"Huh?" Blackfire unfolded her arms. It hadn't hurt at all. The hiraikotsu slamming into her stomach was a totally different sensation. "Umph!" Blackfire grunted. The hiraikotsu continued its path. The Tameranian princess fell to the ground, caught from collision by Aqualad.

"Thank you Aqualad." Blackfire whispered, placing her arms around his neck.

"I please to aim." Aqualad replied.

"Wow! I knew you had to be good, but I didn't know you were that good!" Cyborg exclaimed, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"I bet she could beat up Robin!" Beast Boy squawked.

"I don't think she's that good." Cyborg replied.

"She sooo could!" Beast Boy shouted at the mechanical Titan.

"She sooo can't!" Cyborg mocked.

"Guys calm down!" Robin yelled over the quarreling teammates.

"Yeah," Sakura stepped closer to the threesome. "There's no need to argue."

"Right." Robin said.

"Yeah, I can beat Robin. So Beast Boy's right."

Robin turned beet red. "What?"

"I said Beast Boy is right. I'm still a better fighter than you little brother." Sakura laughed.

"You know Sakura…" Robin began. The older girl turned to him, an eyebrow raised, both hands on her hips. "It's been a very long time since we last sparred."

Sakura smiled. "It has. What do you say? One round?"

Robin smiled back. "You're on."

Cyborg and Beast Boy stood stupefied. They were going to watch the sibling acrobatic, martial arts masters duke it out. They sat down along the wall with the other onlookers holding up banners for their respective fighters.

Robin and Sakura had the exact same cocky grin. Robin lifted his right hand and gestured for his sister to come at him. "With everything I've got." Sakura replied.

"Bring it." Robin taunted.

Sakura smirked and threw back her arm, the hiraikotsu ready to fly. She leaned her weight back and at the perfect angle tilted her body forward to throw the heavy boomerang. Her wrist flicked and unleashed the hiraikotsu, aimed at the Boy Wonder, leaving him without enough time to react. The path of the weapon was interrupted by a hot flash of energy zooming inches away from Sakura's face and striking the boomerang. Her eyes trailed the bolt as her weapon was embedded in the wall. It wasn't just any bolt, it was an arrow. Sakura turned to the source. A masked fighter stood, a new arrow drawn and pulled back taunt. Sakura flickered her gaze back to Robin.

"Friend of yours?"

"I was just about to ask the same question." Speedy stated.

Sakura's eyebrow rose. "You must be Speedy."

Speedy smirked. "Well, we all know who I am… who are you?"

Sakura's cocky grin slipped in across her face. Without missing a beat she demonstrated her acrobatic skills; a series of tumbles lead her towards the far wall. Speedy's arrows trailed behind her, marking her path only millimeters from her tumbling hands and heels. Sakura ran up the wall, wrenching her weapon from the panel and somersaulted, her body in the perfect position to throw her hiraikotsu at Speedy. Speedy dodged the weapon and fired a knock out arrow at Sakura that managed to reach her before her barrier was complete. It slammed into her stomach. Sakura rolled back a few feet, she rose her weight to her feet and hands, lifting her head just in time to watch her boomerang slam into the earth just inches away from her head.

A quick dash, running with a barrier in front of her, allowed Sakura to get close enough to crash an elbow into Speedy's side. While he was offset, she swept low with a pair of sliding kicks. The first nicked his boot, the other he leapt out of its path. He hopped back several feet, Sakura watched with amusement clearly on her face.

"You're good." Sakura said.

"Yeah, I know." Speedy unleashed a rainstorm of arrows. Sakura flipped and rolled out of all of their paths, throwing up a shield when knock-out arrows were randomly incorporated into the mix. Sakura matched Speedy's skill with her Xing Yi, side stepping and always moving. Sakura regained her weapon and the two held a stand still. Sakura waited unflinchingly, fingers tight around the grip of her boomerang. Speedy's fingers flexed and recoiled along his bow, a gold arrow stretched against the strings.

In the peanut gallery Cyborg and Beast Boy were stunned by the amazing fight scene they were watching. Robin and Raven were both equally surprised by the display. Speedy had gotten good while he was gone. No one yet had matched Sakura for more than two minutes. Speedy had been holding his own for twenty.

Speedy and Sakura watched their opponent for the slightest moment of weakness. For three minutes they both stood perfectly still. Realizing that it was quite possible that Beast Boy was going to explode from his anxiety, Robin stood up, unsure if he had imagined his fingers brushing against Raven's; he knew he felt a spark… he wanted to believe it was coming from her. Robin stood and carried his voice to the two fighters.

"Maybe we should just call it a draw!"

Speedy saw it. Her eyes had turned to face Robin's for just a second. He was going to win. Speedy's fingers snapped open; his last arrow took to the air, splitting it like a saber through stone. Sakura at that same moment heaved her hiraikotsu forward, Speedy in her sights.

The team watched the arrow and the boomerang cut through the air, lined up perfectly, on the exact same path, in different directions. The wind marked the path of the weapons, in the moment they should meet; Speedy's arrow slipped in the crock of the weapon and both weapons continued their path. Speedy's arrow burst open. The net sprung forward. Sakura was caught by surprise. The net wrapped around her, pulling her body in an awkward angle until she fell to the ground. The hiraikotsu slammed into the ground in front of Speedy. Turning his shoulder allowed him to escape its path. Speedy smirked and stalked forward to claim his victory. Sakura didn't struggle for a moment, just watched with her huge doe eyes as Speedy leaned over her, that cocky grin displaying his handsome features.

"I think I win." Speedy said.

Sakura smirked. "I think not."

The defining quality of the boomerang caught up with Speedy. The return path was perfect. The giant boomerang smashed into his back, spinning in place to wear him down. Speedy collapsed forward, landing directly on top of Sakura. Above them, the hiraikotsu slammed nosily into the wall.

"It's a draw." Robin declared.

Sakura placed a hand on Speedy's chest, her healing energy running through him. Speedy pulled himself back, freeing his opponent from his web. Sakura sat up and looked Speedy in his masked eyes.

"My name is Sakura."

Speedy rubbed his head thoughtfully. Sakura stood up and offered Speedy a hand. He took it and gripped it in a firm shake. "Pleasure."

End of Part One

A/N

¹ Another reference to a great fanfic "The Rescue or Raven's Revenge" by chidogs

²I've decided that's the official name of her move. Starfire has Starbolts, Blackfire has Blackbolts, Bumble Bee has Bee Stings.

³Playing Tekken five will greatly improve the detail of this part.


	17. Say Your Name Part Two

Say Your Name

Part Two

Cyborg's words had bothered Celine more than she had let on. She had messed up. Her work was slipping and everyday she was ignoring her real work for the benefit of the company (and inherent drama) of the Titans.

At the moment, Celine was standing on the roof under a makeshift greenhouse. Beside her, Beast Boy and Terra were helping her load soil into small pots. Neither of them had any idea why she was so interested in gardening all of a sudden, but didn't waste the opportunity to spend time with Celine. Celine and Beast Boy were the only two people in the tower who seemed to regard Terra at all as the days past. In the weeks since her return, Terra hadn't expected open arms, but had wanted more than going two for ten, those odds were no good.

Celine had noticed that Terra had been spending more of her time near her, but whether it was because Beast Boy tended to spend a lot of time around Celine, she couldn't be sure. Celine looked over the green teenager, who was being increasingly dissatisfied with his task, and observed Terra. She was quiet, quiet even for her. She treated each small seed with utmost care, as if they were as delicate as they would be when Robin gave them to his intended receiver. Something was wrong.

Beast Boy looked at his rows of pots and noticed that his were much more ragged looking than Celine's or Terra's. "Oh man! I'm not doing this right am I?"

"It's alright Beast Boy… I guess gardening takes a feminine touch." Celine replied, trading some of her orderly pots for Beast Boy's… less than orderly ones.

"Why are you doing this anyway?" Beast Boy asked.

"Robin asked me to. He wants to give them to his crush apparently." Celine replied.

"Starfire likes Snapdragons?" Terra asked.

"I don't know." Celine replied¹. Beast Boy shifted his eyes, picking up that Celine knew something that he and Terra didn't.

"What's with girls and flowers anyways? There are so much cooler things! Like game station and comic books!"

Terra and Celine sweat dropped. _Boys… _

"Girls like flowers Beast Boy. Just like you like mega monkeys." Terra replied, teasing obvious in her voice. "I like daisies."

"Daisies are nice." Celine replied. Celine reached over and exchanged more of her pots for Beast Boys. Her actions were almost mechanical, lifting the pots, tapping her seeds into them and laying them out. She gazed fondly at the rows she had made; the little sigh almost went unnoticed.

"Celine, what kind of flowers do you like?" Beast Boy asked.

Celine's gaze broke. Terra and Beast Boy were both staring at her, waiting for her answer.

"Oh… I don't really like flowers." Celine lied.

"I don't buy it! You're a girl! You **have** to like flowers!" Beast Boy prodded.

Celine shook her head. Beast Boy would not take no for an answer.

"Oh come on! I know you like flowers! I bet Cyborg buys you them all the time! I'll just ask him."

That sad looked returned to Celine's face. The look she got when anyone mentioned her name and Cyborg's at the same time. Terra noticed, she'd have to beat up Beast Boy later for not.

"I guess I like Day Lilies." Celine finally replied.

"I knew it!" Beast Boy's victory dance ended abruptly when Terra stomped on his foot. A huge tear drooped from his left eye. He turned sniveling to Terra, ready to produce full out water works. "What was that for?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Terra asked innocently.

Before Beast Boy could tell her exactly what he was talking about, Celine turned and leaned forward to address Beast Boy.

"Hey Beast Boy… it's really hot out, would you mind going inside and getting something cool for us to drink?"

"Sure thing! Three ice cold tofu smoothies coming up."

"NO!" Both girls cried, but Beast Boy was already running down the hall. Terra and Celine sweat dropped.

"It would be good if we finished before he got back." Celine said.

Terra nodded. "Umm, Celine…"

"Hmm?" The older girl continued to pot seeds, laying them out in neat rows.

"When I stomped on Beast Boy's foot… I was trying to get him to leave us alone."

"We're alone now." Celine stated, continuing with her work.

"Right. I just wanted to say thank you." Terra finally said.

"For what?"

"You're the only one who's been nice to me. Beast Boy told me you stayed up for weeks trying… trying to free me."

"You don't need to thank me for that Terra. I was happy I could help."

"Why?" Terra stepped close to Celine, making her stop working. Celine narrowed her brow. "Why are you nice to me? You know all the bad things I did, but you don't treat me like the others do."

"I'm new… you haven't given me the opportunity to dislike you yet." Celine replied. She tried to go back to work, suddenly uneasy under Terra's gaze. Terra grabbed her wrist.

"How can you act that way? I'd rather you hate me now than disregard me until you finally do." Terra admitted.

Celine pulled herself from Terra's grasp. Celine knew that it had nothing to do with her heightened intellect that allowed her to realize what Terra was really saying. Her brown eyes met Terra's blue ones. Terra didn't trust Celine's genuineness, it was often the curse of those who had done wrong; they constantly feared that those around them would do wrong to them. Terra had broken other's trust and had her trust in others destroyed by the same move.

"I don't disregard you Terra. I like the person you've showed me…" Celine had to be totally honest. It was the curse of her nature. "Give me a reason to hate you and I will. But for now, I can tell you that I don't…" Celine took a deep breath. She made sure she held Terra's eyes when she continued. "I'll say this to you now Terra… if you hurt them again… if you bring that heartbreak to Beast Boy again, I will hate you and I will have no reserve in my retaliations. My compassion does not extend to my mercy."

Terra nodded. Celine realized she had sounded meaner to the small blonde girl than she had meant to. Terra had made mistakes and, in her own mind, Celine felt she had paid for them. The geomancer was making an effort to put the past behind her. It wasn't Celine's place to remind her of what Terra already knew… but she couldn't say the same for the other girls.

"Terra, what are you doing later tonight?" Celine asked.

"I haven't thought about it. Why?"

Just as the last seeds were sown, Beast Boy returned with his smoothies. Both girls fled.

…

"So Speedy, it looks like you've been updating your training regiment. I've never seen anyone hold their own against Sakura before." Robin said, sitting down beside Raven. His arm draped over the couch behind her shoulders casually. Only to Starfire did it seem out of place and unusual.

"Yeah… The Lantern² didn't like my progress, so he put me through a heck of an ordeal." Speedy replied. He was sitting only a few inches from Sakura, who was listening to him, but not looking at him. Her eyes were closed, her arms crossed over her chest. They weren't exactly speaking to each other at the moment.

It had started out as friendly competition. They challenged each other: friendly fights in the training seminars, races across the beach, seeing who could do more pushes (At first Sakura had won, but when Speedy upped the ante to one handed push-ups, Sakura found herself outdone.) Eventually the friendliness dropped out and it seemed every day they were one upping each other; seeing who had better aim and precision with their weapons, who could do a handstand longer (Sakura), it was who could do something better… it was the strangest courtship Blackfire had ever witnessed.

That morning Speedy had challenged Sakura to a climb. The two would have to scale the tower with whatever previsions they could find. Sakura refused. After questioning her for a few minutes he found that Sakura was afraid of heights. He had ridiculed her until she punched him in his handsome smile. She hadn't spoken to him since. Speedy wouldn't admit it, but it bothered him. He'd known Sakura only for about three weeks, but he generally enjoyed the brown eyed girl's company. It wasn't just when they were sparring or competing; he liked eating dinner with her, teasing her about this or that or just talking to her. There was absolutely no one like Sakura and having her mad at him was not sitting well with the masked archer.

"You've never stayed away for so long before," Raven said pushing her hair behind her ear. "You missed a lot while you were gone."

"Yeah. I missed weeks of Sakura gloating." Speedy's smile took over half his face. She was going to talk to him eventually, even if he had to push every single button he knew.

"You're a smart boy, you'll catch up." Sakura said, opening one eye to look at him.

"Ha! You are talking to me!" Speedy shouted as if her words were some symbol of an apology accepted.

"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking at you. Last time I checked, I'm still mad at you and you're still a jerk." Sakura's arms tightened across her chest, both eyes were open.

"Oh come on! How was I supposed to know that would make you sore? I've gloated before and I'll gloat again! You've got to give me opportunity to realize I'm crossing a line before I cross it Sakura!"

Blackfire and Starfire scooted away from the pair, neither of them wanting any part in the grade A meltdown approaching. The team waited for Sakura's reaction, Raven readied a barrier and the others prepared to run.

"You're right."

Raven, Robin, Speedy, Star, and Blackfire crashed face first into the carpet.

"But, you didn't beat me, so you can't gloat."

Speedy pulled himself from the carpet. Now that she was talking to him, teasing her would be much more satisfying. "I didn't beat you **today**. If I recall correctly, I did more push-ups than you, I outran you twice **and **can hold my breath longer than you. So that makes it five to…"

"Eight. Two rounds of hand to hand, the **first** push-ups challenge, the handstand challenge, both games of chicken, I completed the obstacle course in a faster time, and I won the most locations to hide Beast Boy's tofu challenge."

"Sakura that last one wasn't a challenge; we were all just trying to hide Beast Boy's tofu." Speedy replied.

"Oh… Then, it's five to seven."

"I bet I can make it six to seven." Speedy said. That cocky grin would be the death of Sakura, she knew it.

"You mean five to eight? You're on. What's the challenge?"

"One round, winner takes all, Mega Monkey's throw down!"

"You're on!"

At that moment Raven stood up and turned to leave the common room. "Raven? Where are you going?" Robin asked.

"I want no part of this. I'm going to go to the roof. The sun is going down and I'd like to watch it." Raven replied.

"Oh, Raven! That sounds most enjoyable! Might I join you as well?" Starfire asked.

"Of course Star." Starfire and Blackfire followed Raven from the room. A few minutes later, Robin stood up as well. "I guess a sunset would be nice." Robin jogged to catch up. Speedy turned an eye to Sakura as the two continued to mash buttons furiously.

"He's got it bad." Speedy stated.

"Oh yeah." Sakura replied. The two continued to beat at each other in virtual form until Speedy reached over and pushed Sakura's buttons. Sakura's character staggered and a deluxe upper cut laid her fighter out. The screen flashed a victory symbol over Speedy's character.

"Six to Seven!" Speedy shouted.

"You cheated!"

"But I'm cute so it's okay!" Speedy replied.

Sakura stomped her foot against the ground. She wasn't going to say anything about that one way or the other.

End of Part Two

¹ Beast Boy and Terra have no idea that Robin likes Raven. Even though Sakura said in a previous chapter that everyone was aware, really only she and Celine knew.

² The Lantern The Green Lantern, Speedy's master. In canon, Speedy's original master is the Green Arrow, but a little change never hurt anything.


	18. Say Your Name Part Three

Say Your Name

Part Three

"So you **do** dream of the future then?" Sakura asked, repeating Terra's question. Sakura sat Indian style, clutching a pillow to her chest. On the floor to her right, Terra and Bumble Bee were sitting, all three of them looking at Raven. Raven sat on the floor next to Celine's chair. Celine had turned her head to hear Raven's answer, Blackfire stood behind the other girl, running a brush through Celine's long red hair. Raven had the feeling she was being ganged up on, but she had brought it on herself, she had agreed to attend the slumber party.

It had been Celine's idea, rounding up all the girls to have some time together without thinking about the boys or their conditions outside that room. They were going to be friends, if only for a little while, if only in that room. The girls had convened in Sakura and Celine's room, spread out in the comfortable space. Except for Starfire, who had gone to gather more unhealthy snakes for their consumption, all the girls sat in that room and waited for Raven's answer.

"Ever since Slade returned… I realized that I had to look forward to the future if I was going to be able to fight for it. So, more and more I've been dreaming of the future. I'd like to think I'm capable of a happy ending." Raven pulled her knees to her chest.

"What's your happy ending?" Celine asked. Behind her, Blackfire continued to pull the brush through her hair. Celine didn't have siblings and, besides Bumble Bee, before joining the Titans she didn't have any girlfriends. The slumber party had been just as much for herself as for Terra: Celine wanted a day as well where she could just be one of the girls.

"I dream of being a mother." Raven replied. She laughed gently when the rest of the girls gave their "awws". "I have this dream, where I'm with my daughter. We're picking flowers and she finds a bright flower and brings it to me and says 'Mommy, look how pretty.' And I'd say 'not as pretty as you my darling.'…" The 'awws' returned.

"What's her name?" Bumble Bee asked.

"Choris. It means dear to the heart. In some languages it also means Hope." Raven replied.

"That's very pretty." Terra whispered. It was more to herself than to Raven. Terra didn't know before, when she had first met the Titans, what Raven was born to do; all the bad things she was going to do… _But she's still one of the good guys… _

"Does she look like you or the father?" Sakura asked.

"She looks like Robin." The room filled with a quick silence. Raven gasped when she realized what she let out and slammed her hands over her mouth as if blocking anymore words would take back the ones she already said. To the right of Bumble Bee a pillow exploded.

Celine and Sakura snickered. Terra's eyes widened and pointed a nervous finger at Raven. "You…. like Robin?"

Raven's frantic eyes darted across the room. "You can't tell Starfire!" Raven's breathing was coming quickly.

Sakura shook her head. "Somehow, I think Starfire already knows."

"I know what?" Starfire entered the room, Loberos trailing behind her. The door slid closed behind them. If was obvious from her vacant expression that she hadn't heard Raven's omission. Raven turned stark white, her body stiff as a board, hoping for some minor catastrophe to strike so that no one would answer the question.

Bumble Bee spoke up. "Don't tell you that… Celine was actually the one who ate the last of your mustard and Beast Boy was just covering for her!"

Blackfire gasped. "You told!"

Celine threw a pillow at Bumble Bee. "How could you?"

Starfire placed down the snacks. "I suppose when tomorrow comes I must give the apology to Beast Boy. Celine, it is not nice to lie."

"You're right Star. I'm sorry."

Raven sheepishly whispered an apology to the three girls who allowed her to escape a very difficult situation.

"Hey! I thought this was supposed to be a girls' night out! Loberos is a boy! He can't be in here!" Bumble Bee shouted.

Celine laughed as the timber wolf snorted. She rubbed the beast under its chin. "Sorry boy… but she's right… You and your little tag along have to go."

"Tag along?" Raven asked.

In a quick move, Celine seemed to pinch Loberos, but the beast didn't flinch. Celine opened the jar that had contained the peanut butter fluff and dropped something small and green into it. She closed the lid and shook it, the green flea bouncing around.

"Beast Boy!" The girls shouted.

"Now Beast Boy, you're going to have to do better than that. Loberos, take this back to the boys and tell them they really need to work on their spy technology." Loberos snatched the jar between his teeth and exited.

…

Speedy had no idea why the tower was so quiet. He knew that the girls were all in Sakura and Celine's room… but where were the boys? The TV was off and there was no pizza being consumed in the dining room. No one was training and no one was on the roof. Four crime fighting superheroes didn't just disappear. They were in the tower; he just had to find them.

Loberos jogged past Speedy, carrying a jar in his mouth. He watched the blue haired wolf turn into Cyborg's room. Raising an eyebrow, he followed.

He hadn't expected to find all the other guys in there, standing around Beast Boy who appeared to be covered in peanut butter. "You know, I'm pretty sure I don't even want to know." The agile archer crossed his arms over his chest.

Aqualad turned to Speedy. "The girls are having a slumber party!"

"I know."

"Don't you know what girls do at slumber parties?"

"Paint their toe nails and watch girly movies?"

"NO!" Speedy shrunk to half his size when all the other Titans yelled in unison.

"Girls at slumber parties tell secrets." Robin replied. He stepped to the side and Speedy became aware of Cyborg leaning an ear against the wall, a satellite dish protruding from the other ear.

"You're spying on them?" Speedy asked.

"YES!" "Of course!" "Obviously!"

Speedy's eyes shifted behind his mask. "I don't know how I feel about this."

"We wouldn't do it if we didn't care." Aqualad replied in a hushed whisper.

"Robin, how can you go along with this?" Speedy asked.

"At first I was against it, but then Cyborg told me what kind of secrets they told at slumber parties."

"Those being?"

"Who they like."

"Who they like?" Speedy repeated.

The other boys nodded.

"What are you guys? Five? And don't you all pretty much have respective girlfriends?"

Cyborg hushed Speedy and the group waited for a second. Cyborg adjusted his listening devices. "I got something… I think they just asked Sakura who she likes."

Speedy knocked over all the other Titans to stand ear to ear with Cyborg's speaker. The other Titans all crossed their arms over their chest with the exact same expression of assessing a hypocrite. Even the dog raised an eyebrow. Speedy sweated nervously and laughed. "I only spy because I care!" Then he turned back to the speaker.

…

"So suspending reality for a minute, pretending that none of us is tied down, who would you date? We all know who Raven chooses… What about you Sakura?" Bumble Bee asked.

"Speedy, I suppose." Her air of nonchalance wasn't fooling anyone.

"I said suspending reality, Sakura! Choose someone that you aren't already seeing." Bumble Bee replied.

Sakura's eyes widened like a dear in headlights. "What are you talking about? Speedy and I are just friends!"

"Yes," Celine replied, "you're friends of the girl and boy variety."

"Nani?"(What?) Sakura shook her head in the negative.

"You know Sakura," Raven smiled menacingly. "D'nile isn't just a river in Egypt."¹

The pillow bounced off of Raven's head and landed at Celine's feet. The girls laughed. The question was soon turned to Celine.

"Well… I suppose I'd go with Beast Boy."

"Beast Boy? Really?"

"Yes. He makes me laugh and he's very sweet."

"He is, but he's also a spaz!"

"To you, but he's grown on me."

"Like a fungus." The pillow at Celine's feet missed Bumble Bee and smacked Terra in the face.

Celine laughed behind her hands. "Sorry Terra. Causality of war. So, who would you pick?"

Terra didn't hesitate. "Speedy." She would have been terribly afraid at that moment had she turned around and recognized the glare set in Sakura's face. The other female Titans were scared enough for her.

"Okay… how about we move to safer ground before someone loses an eye..."Celine suggest.

Bumble Bee nodded in agreement. "So… Blackfire, has Aqualad kissed you yet?"

Blackfire froze in place.

…

Aqualad blushed and stepped away from the rest of his team. The others turned to him all smirking, knowing the answer without having to hear Blackfire's response. It was Robin who rescued Aqualad from a bombardment of embarrassment.

"They didn't even ask her! How am I supposed to know if she likes me?" Robin slumped over.

"Get over it Rob. If Starfire likes you half as much as you like her, you're solid." Cyborg said.

Robin was not going to correct him. Beast Boy slinked beside Cyborg and nudged him with his elbow.

"You know Cyborg, I'd be careful if I were you. I make Celine laugh and girls always go with the guy with the great sense of humor."

Cyborg drew his beam cannon. "I'm not a jealous man BB, but I do have my limits. Celine's my girl."

Beast Boy "eeped" and hid for cover behind Speedy. "You don't really need to worry about me anyway Cyborg! You should be concerned with Speedy! He's the one that all the girls are going for."

It was then that Beast Boy realized that Speedy wasn't moving. Speedy hadn't moved a muscle sense he backed away from the speaker. _Sakura… likes me too?_ Each of the Titans took their turns trying to coax Speedy from his comatose. Robin stared Speedy up and down. He made a mental note to talk to Speedy in the morning when he was more receptive to the outside world. Robin retired to bed.

Deep into the night, when the entire tower was silent, Terra turned in her sleep. She was sweating and her face tight with pain. It was a nightmare; it was **the** nightmare… the only thing that ever kept her awake at night.

She could feel it. Every inch of her body was being taken over. From the ground, from that hard space under her feet, the earth rumbled and cracked, splitting and smashing together like waves crashing against the beach. Terra tried to calm it, but her powers weren't strong enough. She couldn't find the source of the tremors until the quaking finally stopped. The earth slid up, inch by inch, covering her boots, wrapping around her ankles. She tried to pull herself free, but couldn't. It wasn't the earth wrapping itself around her… it was her becoming the stone again. It was the petrifaction claiming her, the earth calling her back to what she was.

The cold, cold feeling was running up her veins, following the path as more and more of her body submitted to the will of the world. Terra's heart pounded, drumming in her ears the most terribly sound she knew. Her lungs trembled with the exertion of her breath until the final sweep of the land closed in to devour her.

This was the part where she would wake up and scream. When the seal was finally complete and she was lost again in the dark, unkind space between animation and the other side. But the seal didn't finish. Her eyes shot open instead. Terra's eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly, everyone was still sleeping; everyone she could see from her position on the floor, staring up towards the ceiling. She would have sat up, except for the slight weight she felt on her head. It has a hand. It was Raven's hand.

"Raven?"

"You can go back to sleep. I can calm your nightmares."

"Why…"

"Just sleep Terra. Dreams should be the one place where we're free…"

Terra closed her eyes. She didn't dream again that night. Raven closed her eyes as well and didn't move a muscle.

…

In the earliest of hours, Robin rose. He stepped out of his bedroom after a shower and a series of morning stretches, turning to the roof. He found the plants had begun to sprout; only the tiniest of color was present.

"They should bloom by tomorrow." Celine's voice startled Robin. He put down the tiny plant he had been observing.

"You really don't sleep do you?" Robin asked.

"You know, every time you ask me that, **you **aren't running on a full night's sleep either."

…

Sakura decided to make dinner that night. Raven and Terra decided to help and Robin decided that today, even without the help of the flowers, he was going to show Raven that he existed, as more than her leader, as more than her friend. Acting on that decision was harder than he had first thought.

Sakura had set Terra and Raven to chopping vegetables while she tended her sauce. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Robin approaching Raven. If she looked past that, she could see Speedy staring off into space. Sakura stirred the pot as Raven slid in her work. Speedy hadn't said a single thing to her all day. She tried to think of something that she might have said that might have made him angry at her, but in the weeks she had known him, it was always Speedy laughing off an insult or defeat. Speedy didn't **do** moody… but today he was.

_Strange kid… _

Terra wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, but she had a front row seat when it had unfolded. Robin came and stood next to Raven, putting himself between Raven and Terra. He had said something like "smells good" or something along those lines.

"Sakura has me cutting vegetables again. Its not really something I can mess up." Raven said, watching the Boy Wonder cross to the other side of her to snatch a chunk of cucumber.

"You're not such a bad cook." Robin said.

"You're right, I'm a miserable cook. But we all have our talents."

"Right. My sister cooks to balance out her crippling lack of personality." Robin ducked and the wooden spoon sailed over his head. Raven laughed and used her energy to return the spoon. The next throw connected. The spoon bounced formlessly off his forehead and onto the counter where it laid still. Robin had a smear of red sauce on his face. Raven smiled behind her hand. She was doing her best not to laugh out loud.

"You think that's funny?" Robin asked. Raven nodded. Robin laughed too and grabbed Raven's wrist, pulling her towards his side of the counter. With his free hand he reached across and stuck his finger into the bowl of salad dressing and smeared it down Raven's nose. "I think that's funnier."

It was likely a food fight would have started if Cyborg and Celine hadn't come into the kitchen.

"What's for---" Celine stopped mid-sentence. "That's a good look for you Raven." Celine stated.

Raven blushed and levitated a towel to her from the sink. Robin intercepted it and wiped the sauce from his forehead before pressing the towel to Raven's nose, removing his mark. Raven almost missed Sakura's request. She was looking into Robin's masked eyes, trying to figure out just what emotion he was showing, without sneaking into his mind to do it. Robin readied himself to make himself known.

"Raven, can you pass me the spoon and the peppers?"

Sakura's voice broke their gaze and Raven and Robin both moved to complete Sakura's request. Unfortunately, no two objects can occupy a single location in space at the same time, so when Raven stepped over to deliver the spoon, her foot tripped Robin's knocking her off balance and straight to the floor.

Her eyes opened when after three seconds she hadn't hit the ground. She looked, indeed, the floor was still in the general direction of down, but she wasn't. An arm was wrapped around her middle, just under her chest, just beneath her heartbeat. Raven turned slightly in the embrace and found concern written clearly on Robin's features. He held her close, pulled her closer to him.

For a few seconds, the rest of the world stood perfectly still as Robin stared at Raven and Raven stared back up at Robin. She blinked just once and in the moment Robin leaned forward and kissed her, just once on the lips.

The kiss was brief, but just long enough to take away every inch of reserve Raven had in her mind. It was brief, but long enough to shock Terra and nearly knock her out of her seat. It was brief, but long enough to make Cyborg's jaw drop. It was brief, but just long enough to say everything Robin wanted to say.

Robin pulled back and waited: waited for a smile, a yell, a blast of energy… something. Raven's eyes wavered. He had never seen that look before. Inches away, just enough space to give her the chance to run or tighten the embrace… and Raven moved. Her slender hand reached up and her delicate fingers traced Robin's lips. She smiled… that smile that took Robin's breath away.

In that instance, a lightning bolt struck and Raven was gone.

Robin fell to the floor. "What happened?" He turned his head frantically looking for the girl. Sakura was missing as well, her spoon crashing to the ground. Cyborg jumped back when both Terra and Celine vanished in a blast of lightning.

…

The girls froze where they were, wherever they were. Starfire's eyes darted from face to face. "Where are we?"

"WELCOME CHAMPIONS ALL TO THE TOURNAMENT OF HEROINES!"

The End of Part Three

A/N

¹My favorite cheesy line of all time.


	19. Say Your Name Part Four

Say Your Name

Part Four

The Master of Games had the worst timing in the world if you asked Raven. Robin had just kissed her and not five seconds after she was taken from his arms to compete in a ridiculous tournament. She could still **feel** Robin's heat under her fingers. Furious was not a strong enough word to describe Raven's mood. It became painfully obvious to the other heroines that Raven was so angry she couldn't see straight.

There were eight 'heroines' in all, standing before the Master of Games with varying looks of displeasure across their features.

"Heroines! Who amongst you will prove herself to be the greatest champion of them all?"

The girls blink rapidly as they realize they'd been separated by the Master of Games' voice.

"Will it be…"

A spotlight shined over Starfire's head. "Starfire! The Tameranian powerhouse with a devastating array of eyebeams and Starbolts!" Starfire laughed nervously.

"Raven! The mysterious mistress of darkness and the strongest mystic sorceress of this world!"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Whatever." Terra rolled her eyes. Suddenly a light beamed over her head.

"Terra! The gifted Geomancer who's skills makes her enemies quake with fear!"

"Actually… I kind of like this guy!" Terra gave a quick peace sign.

"Bumble Bee! The junior Justice Leaguer who floats like a butterfly and stings like a Bee."

Bumble Bee sweated dropped. She had seen that one coming a mile away.

"Jinx! The acrobatics hex-weaver with a unique arsenal of spells and tricks!"

A vein throbbed in Raven's head. _Since when does being a girl who can fight qualify you as a heroine? She's a bad guy!_ Jinx and Raven stared each other down. Something about the situation was ringing terribly familiar.

"Sakura Chloe! The master martial artist who's giant boomerang can topple any villain!"

"I know we're not supposed to like this guy… but it's kind of hard not to." Sakura said, stepping forward.

"Blackfire! The Tameranian princess who wields an impressive physical strength and battle fury!" The spotlight beamed over Blackfire's head. She blinked twice. The Master of Game's sweat dropped but continued.

"Or Celine Fletcher! The super genius who's Firefly cannon and keen sense for strategy has defeated an innumerable amount of foes!"

"He seems to know an awful lot about us…" Celine muttered.

"Who amongst you is the greatest of the female champions? I have selected the preliminary rounds, let the games begin!"

Each of the girls shifted their eyes from one fighter to another. They huddled close together, turning their backs to a confused Master of Games.

"So we're all aware that this tournament is a trap right?" Celine asked.

"Yeah, but how do we get out of it?" Bumble Bee responded.

"If we say we don't want to compete, he'll just lock us away in that crystal of his." Sakura stated. "Speedy told me all about it… we're just going to have to go through with it."

"Right, when I win the tournament, I'll smash his crystal!" Terra proclaimed.

All of the girls stepped back. The huddle was broken and it was obvious that no one foresaw Terra's prediction as the outcome of the tournament.

Sakura pointed a finger at Terra. "You? What makes you think you'll win? I've beaten you before! I can do it again! I'll win and rescue everyone!"

"Whoa! Who says you can beat me? We've never fought!" Celine shouted back to Sakura.

"Excuse me, but I believe I'm going to win… you do-gooders will just have to wait to be rescued… If I feel like it." Jinx replied, both her hands were pressed against her hips.

"I believe I, too, am capable of being victorious!" Starfire responded.

The cat fight that ensued left the Master of Games stunned. _I thought the heroes had huge egos… This might be easier than I thought… they'll exhaust each other and become totally susceptible to my control._

The feminine voices continued to shriek and yell. Rather randomly an energy beam was shot into the air. The vein in Raven's head throbbed as her fist shook. "ENOUGH!" Raven finally shouted, her form quadrupling in height. The other girls froze in mid-sentence and stared in fear. Raven returned to her normal size and smoothed out her hair is if she hadn't been on the verge of demon siege. "Whoever wins, wins… it doesn't matter. We need to fight the tournament and do it quickly… I'd like to go home… NOW!"

The other girls nodded. Raven was distinctly unhappy; to the other competitors it looked like she could defeat anyone in the world… to get back to her Boy Wonder.

The eight competitors turned to the Master of Games.

"Can we get this over with?" Raven asked.

"Oh right… yes! Champions let the first round commence! The first challenges are:

**Jinx vs. Blackfire!**

**Terra vs. Bumble Bee!**

**Starfire vs. Raven!**

**Celine vs. Sakura!"**

The eight girls eyed each other. "That's… an odd combination." Celine stated. The other girls nodded.

Terra nudged Starfire with her elbow. "I guess this is your opportunity to defend your claim on Robin."

"What do you mean Terra?"

Raven turned stark white. Terra gritted her teeth. "I thought you saw… weren't you in the kitchen just now when Raven kissed Robin?"

"Terra!" Sakura and Celine shouted. The older girls slammed their hands over Terra's mouth, though her ability to say anything else that would have made the situation worse was unlikely.

Starfire turned to Raven, hurt apparent in her eyes. "Raven…"

"Heroines! Ready for battle!"

Four different battle arenas were occupied. Jinx and Blackfire found themselves in a Roman coliseum. Blackfire floated to the sky and found that despite the appearance of infinite sky, there was a barrier keeping them in.

An electric shock told Bumble Bee when she had flown as far into the wooden thicket as the Master of Games would allow her. The heavily forested area had more than enough space for her to hide unnoticed, but plenty of earth for Terra to heave.

Raven and Starfire couldn't have had a more appropriate battle scene. Their high grass field was filled with fallen white feathers, like they were left behind by an angel. The sky was a dark blue and all the trees in the distant background were bare of leaves. The moon hung overhead, beams of moonlight dancing across the delicate fallen feathers, making them shimmer gently.¹ Raven had never seen anything so dark and beautiful. It would have been romantic if her companion was someone else and not an understandably perturbed Tameranian powerhouse.

Celine and Sakura were in a small white room; no obstructions, no place to hide. Celine held her Firefly at her side and watched as Sakura readied her weapon. Sakura smirked and Celine smiled.

"Now just because we're roommates, don't think I'm going to go easy on you." Sakura teased.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Ready?" Celine pulled her Firefly across her shoulder, the scouter dropping in place.

"Ikuzo." (Let's go.)

Celine dug her heel into the ground beneath her and steadied herself. She'd seen Sakura's fight style before, any second now…

Sakura dashed forward, arm dropped back. She dropped into a crouch before catapulting herself into the air and unleashing her hiraikotsu.

_Right on time…_ Celine took aim. The Firefly charged, the blue sonic waves gathering and pooling at the cylinder. Half way to its course, the hiraikotsu was interrupted by the Firefly's sonic blast. Sakura watched her weapon sail off course as she landed. She smirked.

"Looks like you've lost your weapon." Celine said, "But my Firefly is still ready."

"Bring it." Sakura taunted. She charged at Celine. Celine fired in rapid succession, changing Sakura's path with every blast. Each one was a second too slow. Sakura dodged and weaved until one blast came head on. She quickly generated a barrier. The blue beam fazed right through it. The shot caught her in the chest. Three more quick bursts whizzed in; the first skimmed her shoulder, the second one she dodged and the third struck head on, hurling the black haired fighter halfway across the arena. She landed on her back stunned.

"Booyah." Celine whispered coolly. The Omicron stepped a few steps forward. "Did you not think I'd prepare a barrier dissipater? I made the new obstacle course remember? I've seen you fight, but you know nothing of what I can do."

Sakura groaned and struggled to sit up. She made it to her elbows before she raised a hand to brush her bangs out of her face. She huffed, the pain in her chest was searing.

Celine dropped the Firefly to her side. "Don't tell me a few blasts is all it takes?"

Sakura catapulted to her feet. She drew her hands into fists. "Come on roomie… show me what you got." Celine steadied her feet for another round.

…

Back flips and simple tumbles was all it took for Jinx to dodge Blackfire's blackbolts. Jinx leaped and flexed her abilities to dance about Blackfire's righteous fury. It was much better than the hand to hand they had started with. Jinx's face bore the bruise of Blackfire's right jab. A quick retaliatory echo wave² had pulled Blackfire back to the air and Jinx preferred it that way. While she couldn't fly, the further away the black haired girl stayed away, the easier it would be to weave her magic.

…

Starfire and Raven hadn't moved a single inch. Starfire stared at Raven and Raven waited: for a scream, waterworks, Tameranian curse words that didn't make sense, **something**… but nothing was happening. Raven was not going to be first one to say anything.

…

Back at the tower, no one had thought to turn off Sakura's sauce. It burned unattended as the male Titans were locked in several small arguments, which combined, made one massive fight. Cyborg was pointing a menacing metallic finger at Robin. Beast Boy, Aqualad and Speedy were looking frantically for some sign of the missing girls.

"You! And Raven! You! You kissed Raven!"

Speedy and Aqualad collapsed against the couch. Aqualad looked an inch away from crying. "I can't believe it! I was about to tell Blackfire I liked her!"

Speedy raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't think anyone's falling for that."

Aqualad fumed. "I was! I said 'Blackfire, I li—' then she disappeared!"

"Something tells me you're stopping at 'like' had nothing to do with her vanishing."

"Shut up!"

Beast Boy continued looking around, unable to find any traces of the girls. "You guys! The girls are missing! We need to stop fighting and find out what's going on!"

"Yeah!" Cyborg shouted, "Like why Robin kissed Raven!"

Aqualad and Beast Boy turned to Robin. "You kissed Raven?"

"Yes. Why are you making such a big thing about this?" Robin asked. "We need to find the girls!"

"What about Starfire?" Cyborg asked.

"What about Celine?" Robin replied. "And Sakura and the others? My relationship with Raven isn't the important factor now."

"Relationship? You're in a relationship? When did this happen?" Cyborg yelled.

"About the time when all the girls vanished! Cyborg, the girls are missing!" Robin crossed his arms over his chest, not in the mood to defend himself against Cyborg's obliviousness.

"Robin is right! Where do you think Sakura and the others could have gone?" Speedy asked.

"Since when we you so concerned with Sakura? You guys are always fighting!" Cyborg replied, angry that his tantrum was interrupted.

"Are you blind? Robin likes Raven, I like Sakura, Aqualad likes Blackfire… and we're all concerned about them… I think the bigger question is why **aren't **you concerned for Celine?" Speedy poked Cyborg with a righteous index finger.

Cyborg looked blue in the face for a minute, before emphasizing their size difference, yelling down at Speedy, "Celine can take care of herself against an-y-bod-y…"

The reason for the girls' disappearance donned on all of them with the tail end of Cyborg's sentence. The male Titans turned to each other. "Tournament of Heroines". Behind them, the lid for Sakura's sauce bubbled off.

…

The fight wasn't going her way. Bumble Bee wove through the leaf litter, trying to stay out of Terra's sights. The girl was good and apparently had something to prove. Bee dodged and danced through the clutter, trying to stay out of the light.

Terra waited, cleaning out her ear with her finger. She wasn't going to chase Bumble Bee. She knew an ambush when she saw one. After a few minutes, she became bored. She was ready to stomp deeper into the thicket when a distinct buzz erupted near her head. _Bingo._ Just as Bumble Bee was preparing a Bee sting, Terra clapped her hands together and squashed her. Bumble Bee fluttered to the ground, Terra watching amused until a bolt of lightning zapped her defeated foe.

"Winner! Terra!"

Terra dusted off her hands and exited the arena.

…

Blackfire shot eyebeams at Jinx as she made a diving approach. Her hands were clutched, ready to land a punch when she was close enough… Just like Jinx anticipated. Jinx flipped away from the path of eye beams, landing with her back to the charging Tameranian. When Blackfire was inches away, Jinx turned slightly extending one hand. Blackfire barely had time to blink when the hand directly in front of her face unleashed a cyclone of pink energy waves. The power of the shot knocked her back nearly twenty feet. The head on attack was enough to take the blue eyed girl down. A bolt of lightning and she was gone.

"Winner! Jinx!"

"Hmph! It was nothing." Jinx pivoted her head, "Goodbye." and walked smoothly to the exit.

…

"You're making this too easy!" Celine shouted as she continued to chase Sakura with her sonic blasts. Twice she had stopped Sakura from regaining her weapon. Celine kept her scattered, unable to begin an assault tactic. She could see that all the dodging was taking its toll on the other girl. "Quit! Go home to your pretty boy!" Celine laughed.

Sakura's movements changed, it became apparent to Celine that she was on the offensive again, weaving herself closer and closer. Celine tsked and waited. Sakura slid in sharply from the right, rushing in deliver an uppercut. Just as her extension began, Celine's boot shot out and caught her in the chest. The shoot fazed Sakura, but had done exactly what she needed. Celine had off-balanced herself, by the time she could reposition the Firefly, Sakura would already have sealed the fight.

Sakura recovered quickly and as Celine prepared to fire another shot, Sakura shifted all her weight and drove a shoulder into Celine's breadbasket. The attack knocked Celine over, the Firefly sliding across the floor, out of her reach. Celine could only watch it for a moment before she realized that Sakura had leapt into the air, ready to drive both her feet into Celine's body. The roll was just quick enough to pull her out of immediate danger, but wasn't fast enough to prevent Sakura from leaping again, grabbing the girl by both shoulders, before sinking her feet into Celine's chest and pushing off, catapulting them in opposite directions³… taking Celine out of the fight. Sakura landed on both feet and watched the lighting bolt take Celine away.

"Winner! Sakura!"

A door opened up to her right. Sakura grabbed her hiraikotsu and exited.

…

It had been Starfire who started the fight. She had lunged forward, tackling Raven. Both long hair girls grunted with the exertion. The two rolled until Raven could boot Star in the stomach, separating the girls by about five yards. Raven pulled herself to her feet, just as Starfire did. She could see the energy building around Star's hands. If she was going to survive this fight, she couldn't let Starfire act on that rage.

"Starfire! Please stop! Listen to me!"

"You are not a good person!" Starfire yelled.

Raven recoiled, her regret apparent on her face. Inside her head, in that annoying voice that belonged to her knowledge, Raven knew she should have expected this. Starfire was going to be mad that Robin and Raven were… Robin **and** Raven, she just wasn't prepared for Starfire to be mad at this moment. In her heart of hearts, the last thing she wanted was to make Starfire sad.

In her mind of minds, she knew that Starfire wanted reprisal.

"Star! I never wanted to hurt you… but I'm not going to apologize for the way I feel!"

"He was my…" Starfire dashed forward, righteous fury running through her eyes as eye beams shot at Raven. Raven's shield repelled the blasts and an energy claw stopped Starfire's assault.

"Starfire please!" Raven yelled as the Tameranian girl slid across the ground, knocking feathers into the night air.

Starfire charged again, a punch amplified with a starbolt hurled Raven to the ground.

"You have done a bad thing!" Starfire shouted, her eyes losing their furious glow.

Raven pulled herself up. Her hair was pulled weakly by the wind. As the delicate air twisted the strands, she could see that it was doing the same to Starfire. Star reached a hand up, keeping her long hair out of her eyes.

"Starfire… I… I wish things could be different… that we both didn't care so much for Robin."

Starfire's eyes watered as she watched Raven extend a hand to her. Starfire wanted to be mad at Raven; she wanted to be able to have the fight of the cat with her about who belonged to Robin and who Robin belonged with as well… But she couldn't. No matter how she felt, it was ultimately Robin's decision who he liked, who he dated, who would be the one to which he devoted his affection… who's company he preferred exclusively.

She might have seen it coming, if she hadn't been looking the other way…

She had wanted to believe that her relationship with Robin… wasn't changing. She had devoted herself to understanding the situation of her sister and Robin was devoting himself to understanding Raven.

But it was hard to let go of him… without a fight.

…

Sakura sat in the waiting room thinking the situation over. Terra and Jinx were standing beside her as she evaluated their circumstances.

"So we're dealing with the Master of Games who now has Bumble Bee, the smartest woman in the world and a Tameranian is his control." Just then, the fourth of the doors that lead from the arena opened.

"Two Tameranians." Raven said as she approached the remaining competitors. Raven didn't look any worse for wear, but two of the three other fighters knew that she could hold her distress better than most.

Sakura drummed her fingers against her knee. "Right now, he's dangerous with Celine's strategy and Star and Blackfire's power…"

"Congratulations, you four heroines have proven yourself most exceptional competitors!" The Master of Games' voice boomed through an unseen speaker. "Prepare for the next round!"

"Next round? Already? Don't we get a break?" Sakura yelled.

"What's the matter Sakura, getting tired in your old age?" Terra asked.

"Can it." Sakura replied.

Two of the four doors the victors had exited from disappeared.

"The next round begins:

**Raven vs. Jinx!**

**Terra vs. Sakura!"**

Terra blinked. "Oh my."

Sakura smirked, clutching her weapon. "Oh my indeed… At the end of this round he'll have two Tameranian powerhouses, the Bee, the genius…"

"The Sorceress." Jinx stated.

"You wish." Raven replied.

"The geomancer." Sakura stated.

"Ha! That crystal will hold you nice and tight Sakura! If it can compensate for your ego!"

"It's only ego to those with no confidence, kid."

Both pairs of fighters stepped to their respective entrances. How they knew which one was correct would in time become a mystery, even to them.

End of Part Four

A/N

¹ Tekken 5 battle arena – Moonlight grassland

² I don't know what her moves are called. Again, I exercise my rights to make up names.

³ Tekken 5, Lei Wulong's default catapult throw… it's really cool to look at, really difficult to describe.

Anyone wanna guess who's going onto the finals?


	20. Say Your Name Part Five

Say Your Name

Part Five

Sakura had a suspicion that the Master of Games wanted her in his possession immediately. That was the only explanation for the battle arena: a cavern, slick droplets of water poured off rock spikes hanging hundreds of feet above their heads. The earth was soft beneath her feet; the red-brown color emphasized the presence of clay and muddy water… everything Terra needed to topple her opponent.

Sakura watched Terra with one eye as she rubbed a finger across the cave wall. It shook as a small amount of the clay rubbed off on her hand. She narrowed her eyes to Terra, the rumbling hadn't come from the earth, she could tell by Terra's smirk.

"Not so **confident** are you now Sakura?"

Sakura smirked as she shook her head in disbelief. She took a stance, readying her weapon. She had fought battles stacked up against her much more than this… she had only lost one… she wasn't going to add anymore to that side of the tally.

Sakura tilted her head to her opponent. "Okuyo?" She didn't wait for her response.

…

Raven and Jinx walked in a perfect circle, pacing around the unbearably small room. The two women stood half in light, half in shadow. Bright strobe lights twirled around them, highlighting areas in the room in a random pattern. They both knew that in a single shift of light to dark the other would attack, moving constantly was their only defense.

Raven watched Jinx disappear and reappear, not totally sure if it was the illusion of the light or if Jinx had stumbled across another ability. Raven's eyes widened as Jinx made a sudden move, hiding herself in the darkness. Raven's eyes scattered out, landing on highlighted empty space. She continued to move: eyes open, ears open, energy concentrated.

"Raven." Jinx's voice shot out from a million directions at once. Raven's eyes flickered left and right. _Where is she--!_ Jinx's boot slammed into her back, knocking Raven onto her stomach in the center of a spotlight. Raven looked over her shoulder and saw Jinx step forward. Her sweep kick wasn't fast enough, Jinx back flipped back into the shadow.

"Raven." Jinx's voice echoed off all the walls in the room, passing through Raven's ears at several different frequencies.

"You've gotten better Jinx." Raven said. She pulled herself up. Her eyes continued to watch for any move Jinx made and any she didn't. It was just by a split second that Raven managed to drop her shoulder under Jinx's next attack and deliver a mule kick that knocked Jinx to the ground. "But so have I."

A spotlight dropped on both of them as Raven generated her energy around her hands. Her soul self escaped, a single claw advanced on Jinx. Her ability to faze was slowed by her surprise; the claw dragged her several feet until she encountered a wall. As Raven stepped forward the spotlight vanished from over her leaving Jinx to scout the darkness for Raven's next attack.

…

Any boulder that Terra threw, Sakura could smash. Some were small enough that her bare fist could strike down, others the might and whorl of her hiraikotsu could take apart. Quick tumbles for the most part prevented Terra from catapulting Sakura into the air with columns of earth. Sakura had to constantly move to keep out of Terra's reach.

Sakura dashed forward and unleashed the hiraikotsu with dead accuracy at the Terra. At the last moment Terra rose a column of earth in front of her hoping to interrupt its path. It shocked her to watch the weapon slice through the soft soil and continue at her. She dropped to one knee, the boomerang whizzed over her head. Sakura charged forward as the boomerang made its return. Her drop kick connected with Terra's shoulder knocking Terra onto her back, Sakura landing on her side. The hiraikotsu flew over both their heads. Sakura didn't make an effort to grab it. She and Terra crawled to their knees. Sakura grabbed Terra, wrenching her arm behind her back.

"Let go of me!" Terra shouted.

"This can't be as good as you can give it. If you can't keep up, I suggest you quit now. I promise I'll rescue you when the tournament is over."

Terra struggled in Sakura's grasp. A jet of mud rocketed over Terra's shoulder and slammed into Sakura's face. Stunned, Sakura released Terra and wiped the mud from her eyes.

"Gross."

Terra laughed. "We're in my element now Sakura! Get ready to eat dirt!"

Mud jets erupted from cracks in the earth, slamming Sakura from all sides. Sakura coughed and sputtered, wiping as much of the mud from her eyes as she could.

"It's going to take more than that Terra." The Holy energy circled her fingers.

"Oh? How about a mudslide?"

Sakura's eyes widened as a tidal wave of mud and earth came her way. Her lips didn't move as she laughed nervously. Sakura prepared to run for her life.

…

Jinx couldn't find Raven's energy. In the specific light, she swore she caught hints of a dark robe or long hair, but she couldn't be sure. Against Raven, it was too risky to make a move. Already she was paying for not fazing fast enough. Luckily there was nothing for Raven to throw, dodging and fazing was still something Jinx was getting control over.

A hand grabbed Jinx's shoulder, pulling her backwards into deep shadow. She couldn't tell if it was the back of Raven's left hand or the front of her right that slapped her across the face. Either way it hurt. Jinx bolted out an echo wave and was satisfied to hear Raven grunt and slide across the ground.

"Raven… this is getting boring. You may have gotten stronger, but I've got new powers."

Jinx caught Raven moving, half her body was exposed in the light. Jinx threw another energy blast, grinning with the 'umph' that echoed in the shadows.

"It's amazing what studying the Helectra Books can do." Jinx stated, observing her nails.

Raven stood up slowly. She wobbled a bit, her hair falling over her shoulders and across her chest.

"You studied the Helectra Books? Who did you have to steal it from to get your greedy hands on it?" Raven asked. Her eyes darted, looking for Jinx to make her next move.

"It was birth right… just like your Iranda Scrolls and Azar Mirror. Being half demon does have amazing benefits doesn't it?"

"You're the child of a demon?" Raven couldn't be sure, but she thought that Jinx's voice was slightly more intense to her right. She shifted her weight, prepared for a strike against her right side.

"You aren't the only person with a powerful daddy… Trigon was strong… but weak enough to get locked up. That's why you were born."

"How do you know about…" Raven's question was cut off when a thunderous punch connected with her right hip. Raven stumbled but kept her footing.

"I know all about you Raven… I know everything about anything that has to do with Trigon… A girl has to keep up with her father's rivalries."

"Rivalries… !" _She couldn't mean…_

"So you do know about Doomgaze then? The greatest of the Great Demon Kings… The one demon that remained unscathed in the **Wars of Light and Dark**…" Jinx slipped between the light strobes.¹ Flashes of her image were playing with Raven's sight.

"He didn't remain unscathed. The Azar took most of his power."

Jinx tumbled across the light and dark areas. She smiled as she completed single handed cartwheels around Raven.

"He did take some… but left more than enough to make me… Look at us Raven! The daughters of great rivals… maybe that's why we don't get along." Jinx laughed.

"No, we don't get along because you're bad!"

Raven's fist skid across Jinx's cheek, stopping her somersault and hurling her into darkness. Raven remained hidden and waited, circling silently in her steps, waited for Jinx to make another mistake.

…

Generating a barrier while running was something Sakura was still getting the hang of. Her control fumbled if she did and a spill could throw off her concentration and leave her susceptible to anything Terra attacked with.

Terra was having too much fun watching Sakura run about. The waves of mud followed her like a shadow, as she crept closer and closer to her opponent. Terra was doing a good job keeping her on the defensive, but she made one big mistake. She didn't keep Sakura and her weapon separated.

Sakura sprung forward, her hiraikotsu pulled behind her head. Her attack drove the weapon in an overhead shot downward at Terra, like a club striking at a spike. Terra leapt back just enough to avoid the attack. While Sakura set her feet and pulled her weapon from the ground, Terra decided that play time was over. She was going to take away Sakura's running ground and put an end to this battle.

"Laaa!" The column of earth shot under them both like a rocket, raising them from the ground and into the air at least twelve stories. The narrow column waved and tilted under its own weight. The earth loosened under Sakura's feet, she flailed her arms to keep her balance, the movement turned her head over her shoulder and she got a wonderful view of just how high they were.

Sakura collapsed to her knees, clutching at a few random blades of grass. She tried to keep her eyes open, but on their own accord her eyes tightened with fear. Terra's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sakura… don't tell me you're afraid of heights? My, my, my… doesn't this change everything?"

Sakura's fingers flexed: trying to block out Terra's voice, trying to forget how far their fifteen foot wide platform was from the ground.

"You know if you want to be on lower ground… I could drop you right now…"

Sakura's eyes shot open. The earth beneath her was shaking, Terra was exercising her advantage.

"You couldn't." Sakura replied.

"I definitely could… but 'will I' is really the question you should be asking yourself… because the answer depends entirely on you."

Sakura swallowed hard. She was not going to be taunted like this. She was afraid, but she wasn't helpless. "You can stop right there Terra. I've been in worse situations than this, fighting people much stronger than you."

"You've never encountered anything like me! You don't know me! You think you're sooo tough… but Sakura… no Holy can protect the meek from the strong."

Beneath Sakura the column shook and gave away.

…

In the darkness all Raven could hear was her heartbeat. She shifted slowly across the dark patches. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but Jinx was nowhere to be found. Up and across her eyes traveled waiting for anything. A change of wind, the rustle of a sleeve, the step that was too heavy… but none of it ever came.

Suddenly the room was flooded with light. All the darkness was stolen away in a single instance. The half demons shielded their eyes. The incoming light spoiled their vision, blinding them from everything around them.

Raven was the first to realize what their shifts and turns in the darkness had done. They were standing back to back with each other… Jinx was the first to act. The elbow struck Raven's neck, knocking the mage to the ground. A quick sweep with her legs toppled over Jinx.

The daughters of demons struggled against each other. Jinx grabbed both of Raven's wrists, but Raven resisted Jinx trying to pin her arms down. Raven didn't have the upper body strength to compete with Jinx, but her legs were the equalizer. Her left boot kicked Jinx's chest brutally, catapulting Jinx into the air.

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" Stuck thirty feet in the air, Jinx struggled against Raven's trap. The barrier resisted her hexes and didn't cave under her kicks.

Raven staggered to her feet. "Try and faze your way out of that one!" Raven taunted… and Jinx did. It was only after she had cleared the barrier that she realized her mistake. Jinx fell waving her arms as if the motion would inspire flight. A split second before she hit the ground a bolt of lighting struck her, removing her from the tournament.

"Winner! Raven!"

…

Sakura's short cry echoed across the cavern walls. Through some miracle that she would have to thank a deity for later, she had managed to grab the column side and stop herself from falling more than four stories. Her fingers trembled in their grip; the soft clay wouldn't support her weight for long. Her feet dangled, kicking at the harder ground just under her. Holding herself up would have been infinitely easier if she had left her weapon behind. Her hiraikotsu was weighing down her right side, allowing her to only hold onto the ledge with only one hand.

"Hey!" Terra yelled from over her head. Sakura looked up and saw Terra overlooking her position. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Sakura gritted her teeth.

"It's still a long way to the bottom! Need a hand?"

_A hand…_Sakura smirked as the plan began to form in her mind. Terra took a seat on the column Indian style. She wasn't really going to let the older girl fall, but scaring her might teach her to recognize the value of Terra's capacity for control. Terra dropped her head onto her palm, blowing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. _Wonder how much longer this is going to take?_

Sakura sunk the fingers of her left hand deeper into the clay and earth, as deep as she could. When her grip was as good as it was going to be she pressed her feet into the column getting just enough traction to raise her right hand and shove the blunt end of her weapon into the column above her head. It sunk in easy.

_It won't hold long… I've got to be quick_.

Wrapping her right arm around the body of her weapon, she pulled her left hand from its grip and balled all five fingers into a fist. The Holy energy wrapped around her fist, the silver glow growing in intensity. _Please let this work._ Sakura pulled her arm back and swung with an arcing path, a heavenly shatter thrust.

The energy jolted Terra from her seat. "Huh?" Terra crawled to the ledge and saw what Sakura had done. From Sakura's palm, Holy energy seeped into the cracks and faults of the column, rushing through, tearing up the imperfect structure. The energy pushed the earth apart, escaping through the sides of the column. The tower above Sakura's head wobbled and shook loosening more earth. Eventually the column head toppled, ripping apart the bottom half, a fault running from the base to Sakura's hiraikotsu. The shift in the compaction of the column allowed the weapon to slide down the fault to the ground. Sakura held her eyes shut as she felt the rush of wind beneath her.

Terra gawked in disbelief as the tower beneath her rumbled and caved. For a few seconds she dropped until she remembered she controlled the land and pulled a rock from the falling pile to ride back to the level land.

With only ten feet remaining, the hiraikotsu stunted to a halt. The abrupt stop caused Sakura's fingers to lose their grip and she fell the remaining distance. After the initial impact Sakura rolled off her shoulder. Terra rode the stone to about twenty feet away from her.²

"Are you insane?" Terra screamed.

Sakura looked up at the splintered column. "Just a little bit… I should really never do that again."

"How did you know that would work?"

"Oh I definitely didn't. I figured the Master of Games wouldn't have let me take that fall."

"You and Robin are really alike. I thought only he'd be crazy enough to do that."

Sakura laughed. "It must be in our blood. Okuyo?"

"What?"

"Okuyo. It means ready."

Terra sweat dropped. "Okay."

It was almost too fast for Terra to see. Sakura shot forward and just before Terra could throw a punch, the older girl somersaulted and landed directly on top of Terra's shoulders. Terra let out a grunt, which would be silenced when Sakura performed a quick series of stomps on top of her shoulders, weighing Terra down with each blow. Finally when it seemed that Terra was ready to throw her off, Sakura let her feet slip from under her, dropping all her weight onto Terra. When her thighs rested on either side of Terra's neck, Sakura twisted her hips and completed a hurricarana, throwing Terra over her head. The surprised geomancer sailed feet over head and slammed into the remaining splinter of the column. Her body jackknifed her knees about her ears. She didn't get to see the column shake with the blow. A bolt of lighting took her away.

"Winner! Sakura!"

Sakura leaped up and in three attempts pulled her weapon free from the column. With the hiraikotsu dislodged the remaining column tumbled to the ground.

…

The Master of Kings sat triumphantly as a winded Sakura and thoroughly displeased Raven approached his seat.

"Congratulations Raven and Sakura, you truly are the best of the best! But only one of you can be named the Greatest Heroine. Here in this room, one of you will be called the victor! So prepare yourself!"

"Already?"

"Sakura, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can leave."

"You say that because you didn't fight Terra!" Sakura replied, rubbing her shoulder.

"I fought Starfire." Raven replied, "I think we're even."

Sakura sighed. The two stepped back into the center of the room.

"Final Battle! Raven vs. Sakura! Let the championship battle begin."

"Okay Raven… don't hold anything back… I won't." Sakura taunted. Raven nodded her head, Sakura returned the nod.

The energy claw caught Sakura by surprise. By some luck of grace her barrier held as the dark energy bombarded it. When the energy receded, Sakura threw her weapon forward. Raven repelled it, sending it right back to Sakura. Sakura grabbed the hiraikotsu, the effort wrenching her arm. Again she threw the massive weapon.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven's dark energy pooled around the flying boomerang. With a flip of her wrist the weapon's path changed, flying over her head and lodging into the arena wall, thirty feet over head.

"That's really getting old!" Sakura shouted.

Raven turned to the dark haired girl and extended a hand. The energy pulse knocked Sakura off her feet. Sakura knew that this battle would be infinitely more difficult than fighting Terra and Celine and that was saying something. Both of her other fights had taken a lot out of her and she had won just as much from their making mistakes as her own skills… Raven wasn't going to make mistakes.

Raven said absolutely nothing as she chased Sakura's tumbling form with energy wave after energy wave. Sakura leaped and tumbled and eventually stopped when Raven stopped. Sakura and Raven were at least forty feet away from each other. Raven stood perfectly still, her arms extending in a feminine -X-³. Sakura watched nervously as in a rapid row, Raven's soul self escaped… and duplicated eight times.

The eight black soldiers attacked in succession. Punches and energy blasts all targeted to Sakura. The swings sailed over her shoulder, her body twisting to remain out of the path of the strikes. Her barriers crumbled under the onslaught.

Raven watched her energy bodies attack Sakura with one eye and the Master of Games with the other. He was watching intently, waiting for one of them to fall. He'd let his guard down and Raven would strike with everything she had. She tried to remain impassive as Sakura waged war against her soul bodies.

Sakura's Holy crumbled one of the Raven Spirits. She heard Raven, the real Raven, groan with its collapse. She looked amongst the seven remaining soul bodies. _At this rate, I can get two more… then I'll have to get the real thing._

Just as she had predicted, Sakura was able to return two more of the fragments of Raven's energy back to Raven's body. The remaining five cornered her to a wall. They each remained in a still battle line, floating above Sakura waiting for a single twitch to exploit.

Above Sakura's head, her weapon was jammed. Sakura looked up at the soul bodies and smirked. All at once they charged in at the same angle and speed. When their path was unchangeable, Sakura somersaulted over them. All five of them crashed into the wall, the tremor of the exertion rocked the wall. The hiraikotsu shook free. Sakura caught it and with a single swing halved the remaining energies. The split energy returned to Raven, the loss of connection jumbling her body. Sakura returned to the center of the arena, twenty feet between her and Raven.

"I think I'm ready to win this." Sakura didn't smirk.

"I don't think so." Raven did.

Sakura pulled her arm back and Raven wrapped her fingers in her might. The Master of Games leaned forward. He knew this would be the knockout blow. He had waited patiently for this moment, when the blows would reduce them to easily manipulated pawns… the spoils of victory were indeed very sweet. His jewel sparkled in the harsh light…

At the same moment, with the unison of disciplined power, the two fighters released their attacks. The aim was perfect to lay out the Master of Games.

The black energy slammed into the beast's chest and the hiraikotsu cracked along the stone. The Master of Games roared in pain, clutching his chest. The hiraikotsu returned to Sakura. As the dark haired girl caught it, Raven stepped to her side. It became apparent to both of them that they'd underestimated the Master of Games.

"Fools! You will pay for your insolence! The Master of Games will not be defeated!"

The red jewel flickered. A boulder shot forward with the speed of a train. It slammed into Sakura, taking her on its collision course. Raven watched in shock as Sakura was laid out. Her stun ended when a green eye beam struck her in the stomach, hurling her back, skidding across the ground.

The Master of Games stalked forward, one eye glowing purple, the other green. An outstretched hand generated pink echo waves, smashing into Raven, knocking her into the southern wall.

"Righteous fury, control of the earth, keen strategy, and the strength of one hundred men! Do you think I can not withstand the attacks of a mage and a mere girl?"

"I'm the strongest sorceress in the world." Raven replied, pushing herself off the wall.

Sakura pulled herself to her feet. "And I'm no mere girl."

"Before me you are but ants. With the other heroines trapped within my power, you have no hopes of defeating me!"

Sakura turned to Raven with a smirk. "Is that what I sound like when I gloat?"

Raven returned the smirk. "He's not nearly as insufferable."

"Figures he'd be second rate. Let's show him why girls do it better."

The two girls split paths as blackbolts and echo waves were heaved at them. Raven lifted her arms again and generated her soul bodies. Only four escaped, doubled in magnitude. All four charged in perfect unison. While the Master of Games shot waves of energy to topple each one, Sakura threw her weapon, smashing into his right side. Only two of the energy bodies were felled by the sonic waves. The surviving bodies grabbed the Master of Games, pulling his arms apart.

"Raven!" Sakura yelled. Raven rose above the air above Sakura's head and waited. Sakura took aim. When the soul bodies had the Master of Games at their will, she unleashed the hiraikotsu.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven called. Her terrible energy shrouded the spinning boomerang.

"Ike!" (Go!) Sakura shouted.

The two watched as the weapon continued its path, burning with demonic energy, until it stuck the dead center of the red jewel. The Master of Games roared. The soul bodies shattered. An eyebeam escaped the crumbling beast, striking Sakura in the chest. A quick shout escaped her as rolled across the ground. Raven dropped to the floor, giving the fallen girl one look before turning back to the Master of Games.

His body trembled and rocked, his roar echoing across the arena. One by one the female competitors spilled forth from the cracked crystal. When Starfire spilled out as the last fighter, the Master of Games dissipated, fading away into nothing.

The female fighters regained their footing. Sakura grabbed her shoulder as she approached Raven. Raven turned to the other girl. Sakura was breathing hard, half crouched, fatigue was apparent on her face. Raven regarded her for a moment then with one finger pushed over the weakened fighter. Sakura fell flat on her face. From the ground she looked up at Raven, a vein throbbing from her forehead. The other fighters turned to the sight. They each waited with an eyebrow raised.

"What was that for?" She yelled.

"I think I just beat you… Looks like I'm the Greatest Champion." Raven replied.

"You wish." Sakura let her face fall back into the floor. In a flash of lightning, the arena was cleared.

…

"A Tournament of Heroines then… we thought so." Robin said as he walked with Raven up the stairs to the roof.

"We knew it was a trap, but we had to fight for real to keep the Master of Games off balanced."

The two stepped out onto the roof. Raven was pleased to see that the sun hadn't set yet. She stood silently beside Robin as the oranges and purples began to own the sky.

"So who won?" Robin asked.

"I did… but if you ask Sakura it was a tie."

Distinctly, in the far distance, they could hear Sakura yelling "It was a tie!" Raven and Robin laughed.

"So we're both the champions of the young heroes then… Raven wins… That's my girl." Robin said.

"Your girl?" Raven blinked slowly. Robin took both her hands in his.

"Raven… before you disappeared… we did something."

"We kissed." Raven supplied. A faint blush walked over her cheeks.

"Yes." Robin whispered, leaning close to her, pulling one of his hands around her waist.

Raven looked into Robin's face, leaning into Robin's hand as it trailed through the hair at the side of her face. In the setting sun, when the sky was a frenzy of beautiful colors, they might have been the most beautiful sight to be witnessed.

"Would you like to do it again?" She asked. Her pale fingers traced his lips. He knew what she wanted.

Robin nodded. "Very much."

The two leaned into each other slowly forgetting the outside world in favor of the heat of their bodies. Robin's lips met Raven's as he gave her a kiss, a kiss he had never given another girl, never thought of giving anyone else. Raven sighed at his touch, a feeling of well-being rushed over her body. _This is happily ever after isn't it?_

Robin pulled back from Raven. Her huge eyes were gentle and happy. Robin smiled at her and pulled her into a soft embrace. Her head laid perfectly into his shoulder.

"And now for the grand finale." Robin whispered.

In the background the snap dragons sprung to life: reds, oranges, purples and blues shot from delicate petals, throwing their scent into the air. Raven's eyes took in each of the vibrant hues, the moment etched forever into her heart.

"How did you know?" Raven asked.

"I didn't. I had to learn from Sakura and Celine… I'd like to continue learning about you Raven… but from now on… I want to learn from you."

Raven closed her eyes and inhaled as deeply as she could. The sun sank behind them and the night chill came. Robin and Raven didn't let go of that embrace. In the back of their minds they both knew they owed Celine and Sakura a huge thank you.

End of Chapter Seven

A/N

¹Remember this for later parts.

² I know, that was ridiculous. In my mind it looks awesome though.

³ Like in Nevermore when she gathered her powers to fight Trigon.

At first I was going to have Terra beat Sakura, but then I thought I could come up with a better scenario for when Raven and Terra have their "moment". The one I came up with is infinitely better and I didn't want to dull it down by having two of them.

Don't worry! There's lots and lots of RavenxRobin fluffiness to come!


	21. HIVE MIND Part One

HIVE MIND

Part One

A/N

⁰flashbacks⁰

It was four o'clock in the morning and Cyborg was upset. His rejuvenator was malfunctioning, an artifact from the HIVE attack a few months ago. More and more he was finding his circuitry was malfunctioning, whether from being out of date or misconfiguration, Cyborg didn't care. His parts were failing him and it pained him to think that maybe an upgrade was out of his capabilities. _Out of mine… but not hers._

He knew where she'd be, knowing that she'd be awake. As he strode confidently down the corridors, he tried to think of what he was going to say to her. More and more they had been talking less and less and Cyborg knew without a doubt that it was totally his doing. He hadn't gone out of his way to avoid her, but ignoring her or passing her attention to something else became a second nature. He hated himself for doing it, but it was so much easier than accepting the consequences of his actions.

He wasn't the kind of man who could hurt someone so easy. He knew that. He also knew the reason why he hadn't hurt Celine was because she was too strong to be broken.

Three days ago, Celine and Bumble Bee received orders to return to the AGU. Their presence with the Titans was no longer deemed absolutely necessary. Their return was requested immediately. That night they had packed up, shuffling their things to fit into Celine's jeep. Cyborg was both sad and happy to see her go: sad because even in the confusion she brought to his current life, he loved her and she loved him… his happiness was wrapped up in that sadness.

Cyborg realized that he had never officially broken up with Celine. It was his dirty habit. It was fear; maybe no one would love him, certainly not the way Celine had. Lust was possible; Sarasim was proof enough of that. But long term, dirt under the finger nails, until their bones collapsed love may not have been his cards. It wasn't because he was partly machine, it was because down every wrong way, every bad decision, he refused to step back, because whatever was behind him was behind him and he had decided never to go where he had been before… and he **had** been in love.

Celine had taken her boots off and her jacket. The former she had pushed under the table, the later she had draped over Beast Boy. Celine shook her head at the younger boy. He had bet he could stay up as late as she could, if he got the same three hours of sleep she did. She had taken the bet, knowing very well he'd crash and burn in hours. Beast Boy had lasted until one-thirty before he fell over.

It saddened her to think that she almost had to leave the Titans behind. It was by some stroke of a miracle that her network had picked up activity that could be linked to Brother Blood and that the AGU had extended her stay, though not Bumble Bee's, and allowed her to remain with the Titans. Each of the Titans, from Starfire to Raven to Beast Boy to Terra had left a little mark in her heart; she knew that mark would become a tear if she was ever forced to leave their side.

"What's he doing there?" Cyborg whispered.

"He thought he could stay up as late as I could. And he was wrong… It's very late. Why are you still up?"

"Why are you?"

"I'm still following the leads on Blood. I went over your records for your encounter with him… they're rather incomplete."

"I said everything there was to say."

Celine decided not to push the issue. They each had a different reason for pursuing Brother Blood. Their common interest should have been pushing them to work closer together, but Celine had the distinct impression that it was doing the exact opposite. It was too late in the night to argue. Celine yawned.

"You should take a page from BB's book and go to bed." Cyborg said.

"I got my three hours. I should be fine."

"You know that's still weird." Cyborg leaned against her console.

"Running on three hours isn't so unusual. Some of history's greatest minds treated sleep this way." Celine replied.

"So that puts you in the company of greatness?"

Celine wasn't going to be baited. "Since when were you so concerned in my sleeping habits? I was the same way when we were kids."

When they were kids, Celine was curious. Celine was good with her hands; Celine could not leave a book unread. She and Cyborg were the accelerated minds of Brock County. When they were children, Cyborg held her if she ever cried. But Celine didn't cry anymore. _Why does she need me? Why did we ever need each other? Why do I hold onto her, when it would be so much less painful to let her go?_

But sometimes when he looked in her eyes, when his hand touched hers, he could remember all the times when he was a man: full blooded, warm to the touch. He had adjusted to his condition and had enjoyed what he was; what he could do for others… but only if he could pretend that that was all there was to him: that Cyborg was his only state, that Victor Stone was someone that could be remembered fondly, but never called upon, never called **out** of his memory.

Celine turned back to her output readings, reviewing materials that he knew she had read at least twice already. He didn't hesitate.

"Can you update me?"

Celine didn't answer.

"My system… I'm having a problem with upkeep… the last HIVE attack…"

"No."

"You won't update me?"

"No." Celine bit out.

"Since when can't you do anything?"

"It's not a **can't**… I won't treat you like a machine. You aren't my playground. You're not a toy and our relationship is not a game…" Cyborg's blue eye met hers fiercely. "What is this? Do you want to drive in a death nail? You can be honest with me Vic… We're falling apart and its just as much you pushing as me letting you. For years you've been pushing and I don't know why. Why is the idea of being with me so frightening?"

"Celine… I need to tell you the truth."

To their right, Beast Boy shot up off the couch "No! I **won't** eat green eggs and ham! I'm a vegetarian!" His eyes shuttered back closed and he was asleep once again, still in an upright position. Cyborg's eyes shifted between Beast Boy and Celine, knowing she was just as confused by what they had just seen as he was. Cyborg sighed. He walked over to the snoring Titan and hefted him to his shoulder.

"Alright BB, your bed is waiting." Cyborg turned his back to Celine. "You should get rest too… we'll talk tomorrow."

Celine nodded and watched Cyborg carryout Beast Boy before turning back to her readouts.

…

⁰Sakura clenched her bedrobe closed. In the soft flickering of the candle light beside her bed she knew she had seen movement. It had been quick, it had been slight, but it had been there.

"I know you're there… please come out." The candle flame whipped and broke, laying shadows across the walls. "This is the third time in three days… Don't hide… the shadows don't suit you. I can tell."

The handicapped girl sat up propped against several stiff squared pillows, prayer beads wedged between each of them. Her black hair fell free over her shoulders as she watched. He stepped out of the shadows smoothly, as if he had been ready the whole time, just waiting for his introduction.

"You aren't one of the monks are you?" Sakura asked.

The platinum blond male shook his head in the negative. He stepped closer, his white robes shimmered in the candle light, not a hint of shadow crossed his handsome face; the light was drawn to him. Sakura wondered how he had hid in the shadow when the light bent to find him.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

"I am the Gabriel¹… you may call me Jericho²."

"Jericho… why have you been watching me?"

The Gabriel stepped closer to the girl, staying well out of her reach. Sakura turned her head to observe him. It was obvious he didn't intend to harm her, but that didn't suggest that she wasn't in danger.

"The temple alone does not have the ability to heal your body. Under just the might of the temple, you would wilt and fade away."

Sakura swallowed hard.

"But you will not wilt nor fade."

"What do you mean? How do you know what I can do and what will become of me?"

"I have seen many things; the great hopes of the world and still the greater tragedies. All the wars that will be borne, the demons that will sire hate and destruction… for generations, warriors have stepped forward in defense of life."

"Like you?"

Jericho nodded. "I have the ability to save thousands of lives by wiping my hands across the land or over the oceans… I have the power to defend virtuous fighters and to strike down the wicked… but I do not have the power to fight forever."

"Are you dying?"

"No… I will never die… But I will also never be everywhere I need to be to stop the terrible things that are coming… the winds are changing Sakura."

It didn't occur to Sakura that Jericho should know her name. She looked the angelic creature in his pale, gently slanting eyes. He regarded her coolly, no emotion; distress, displeasure, happiness or otherwise. It was like he was reading a script and he was a bad actor.

"When the winds shift to tear the world apart, I alone will not be able to collapse the might of the Great Demon Kings. In my mind's eye, I see any attempts swallowing my life and the lives of thousands behind me."

"That's terrible! Is there nothing that can be done?"

Jericho nodded and stepped closer to Sakura. He extended his hand. Sakura's brown eyes widened as the hand began to glow with a feverish silver power. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. "I do not ask you to fight great battles. I do not wish for you to give your life for the good of many, only that you stand beside others who are strong and good. In years to come, lives will be made and twisted in the flow of the inevitable… in the inevitable future… Holy may fall, but in the moments most desperate, life will always triumph if there is something to shelter it… can you guard life if I give yours back to you?"

"Why me?"

"I can only bestow Holy to those with pure heart or great righteous need…"

Sakura extended her slender hand to Jericho's outstretched one. The silver energy reacted immediately, pouring into her skin, fusing itself with her life force. Sakura's eyes closed on their own accord. She could feel the energy seep into her lungs with each trembling inhale and exhale. Her fingers flexed against her bed sheets, her toes curled and relaxed at her command… for the first time in two years.

Jericho stepped back, the Holy energy no longer concentrated in his hand. "Stay and train your powers. Concentrate your abilities until you can no longer find a higher plateau. Then leave here and find those who can show you the higher path."

"Can't I learn it from you?"

Jericho shook his head. "The things you will need to learn will come from those that you find. Those you choose to align yourself with will determine how powerful you may become."

Sakura pulled her sheets back. With an effort labored from inaction, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet; her nerves tingled all the way up to her waist. One step took her close, another step brought her closer. Each slow step she wobbled, but Sakura kept her feet until she stood toe to toe with Jericho.

"I… thank you… I will do my best."

"You will… I can ask no more. Remember that you can only be as strong as those who rely on… be weary in your allegiance and be very careful. I will be of no more assistance to you."

"You've already done more than I could have hoped."

Jericho bowed slightly. Sakura returned the gesture. When her head rose, Jericho was gone. Sakura turned and crawled back into her bed. The candle flickered out, leaving the raven-haired girl cloaked in darkness. Sakura breathed in deeply, the tremble of Holy energy fluttered within her weakly… she'd have to work on that.⁰

…

Raven woke up feeling warm. That warmth started in the pit of her stomach. It ran up through her chest and centered under her ear. The beat, beat heartbeat was beautiful. She could tell by the way her body was raising and falling that she had fallen asleep where she had last laid: on Robin's chest. Raven closed her eyes and breathed in deeply taking in every inch of the moment into her memory.

A hand smoothed the material over her back alerting Raven that Robin was awake as well. She fretted to lift her head, but finally decided that looking into Robin's face matched the thrill of feeling his heartbeat.

"Did you sleep well?" Robin asked, not making a move one way or the other to change their position. That afternoon they had sat talking and continued into the night. When the night lights from a million different stars took over the landscape, Robin had wrapped his arms around Raven and kissed the top of her head. He had fallen asleep before she did. Raven refused to let herself out of his embrace.

Robin laid along the bright yellow couch, on full display to the rest of the tower. They had been dating for a total of thirty three days, it was hardly any anniversary worth remembering, but every day was **everyday with Raven** and **always** worth note. The transition from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend had been pleasantly smooth for them, the snags they hit with the other Titans fanned out as best they could hope for. Star wasn't so easily broken and Cyborg had new toys to occupy himself with. Their relationship was no longer an outrage or scandal, it was what it was… and that was good.

The morning light was streaming across their bodies; Robin lifted a hand to shield Raven's eyes. Raven nodded reminding Robin of his question.

"Raven… what do you dream about?" He asked.

Raven laughed. "That's personal." She replied, reaching a hand up to trace the back of her fingers up and down his cheek. Despite her ability to spy into his mind and his gift to interrupt her trains of logic, they had promised themselves that the road to learning about each other would be slow and cautious. They both had their wounds and pride to hide; exposing them to the sunlight would be an inch at a time.

Robin raised his free arm to smooth out the hair on his forehead. "Raven, we're personal."

Raven smiled and rested her head back onto his chest. "I dream about being a mother, that one day I could make something so beautiful as a child…"

"Is that what makes you smile in your sleep?" Raven nodded.

"It's my favorite dream. I'm a girl after all."

"You're a woman." Robin corrected.

"Then that would make you a man… but that means I couldn't call you Boy Blunder anymore."

Robin chuckled. Robin sat up slightly, noticing his sister had come into the room. She looked down; the same way she had looked yesterday and the day before, since Speedy left for his training. The black haired girl dropped gracelessly onto the couch, a rain cloud storming over her head.

"Sakura, you look…" Robin began. Raven sat up, allowing Robin to as well.

"Miserable." Raven stated.

Sakura sighed. The cloud struck lightning and the rain continued to pour. Officially she and Speedy were just friends, but everyone saw how effected Sakura was when Speedy was called to train by the Green Lantern. She'd sulk and pout and trail water wherever she went. Twice there had been enough water for Loberos and Beast Boy to swim in. Aqualad did his best to return the rainwater to the ocean, but the Atlantian could only do so much.

"I think I should go before my boots get soaked." Raven said. She pulled back from Robin, squeezing his hand tenderly. Robin smiled at her gently and watched her splash through the puddle pooling around the couch. It would become an all out moat if something didn't distract Sakura.

Raven walked slowly to her room a slight smile resting on her face. As a child, Raven never had the time or patience to think about happiness, let alone feel it. Constantly she had been bombarded by hisses and ill will, accusations of sabotage and out-and-out hostility. It was hardly conducive to happy thoughts. It surprised her how easily being happy, really happy, had come to her. But it didn't surprise her that it came at a consequence.

Sometimes she'd have to leave the comfort of her friends' embrace, especially that of Robin's, when her control would fluctuate due to the influence of one emotion or another. Sometimes HappinesS danced about in a mad rhythm, taking her heart up and across her chest like some rowdy demon. Sometimes TimiD would shrink her away from Robin's touch, only to have JoY throw her back at him.

But it was HOPE that carried her away most wildly. It was new, it was fragile and it was the one part of Raven that she refused to be harmed. Controlling HOPE wasn't something she feared, it was something she desired. HOPE could turn her about more ways than Robin's smile or touch, especially those smiles and touches that came in response from something **she **had said or did. She wanted to feel it all the time. She had to coax it out when HOPE refused to stay.

The most fearsome thing about HOPE was when she fled, she left TimiD and DespaiR behind. Raven owned all the spectrum of feelings, HOPE was the one that she loved and feared the most.

Raven stepped into her room and pulled her hair over her shoulder. She had taken to braiding it gently when she went to Nevermore, because she often had to search for all the small and powerful parts of herself and the braid gave her one less thing to think about. Once in a fight with RAGE, it had been wrenched viciously, pulling out a thin lock. The braid wouldn't stop her hair from getting pulled if RAGE saw fit, but it made the pain bearable and Raven could always use it as bait to lure RAGE close so she could lock her away at least until her next visit.

The mirror of AZAR waited for her, the thin magical glass sparkled against the faint globes of light born from her wall. Raven closed her eyes and let the mysterious energy sweep her away into the place deepest inside herself.

As always the first of herselves that she encountered was BravE.

"Can you point me to her?" Raven asked.

BravE nodded, jutting a finger in the general direction of KnowledgE. Raven nodded and walked along the stone bridge to where KnowledgE sat in a fork in the road. She was studying scrolls, her thick glasses falling off her nose. Raven stepped forward and pushed the frames back up KnowledgE's nose, turning the emblem of her character's attention to her.

"I know why you've come." KnowledgE whispered.

Raven nodded. "Will it be difficult?"

KnowledgE shook her head. "No… she is waiting for you to find her. She likes you and she very much likes the time you spend with her… It is only that RAGE follows her like a shadow that she hides so much. I have tried to make her understand and BravE has tried to train her, but she is young still and has much to learn."

"You mean I have much to learn about her." Raven replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Raven observed the short haired character³ before turning her head from side to side, trying to determine if she could locate HOPE without KnowledgE's help. The character pointed a finger to the western fork without looking up from her catalog of scrolls. Raven nodded and walked down the left hand fork, the grey background turning lighter and lighter the further she traveled… until at last it was white.

Raven looked to her right, knowing she had seen something there. She smiled when a slip of gold shuffled under a crumble of stones. Raven stooped down and offered a pale hand to the exit of the stone.

"You can come out HOPE. It's me… Do you want to play?"

HOPE crawled slowly from her cavern; her golden clock shimmered against itself. The little girl stood only to Raven's waist, her long hair fell down her back, pushed back like Raven wore when she was with Robin. HOPE smiled and offered a tiny hand to her older self. Raven took it.

The scenery around them changed. The two girls crouched in a field of Snap Dragons, tying the stems together to make a laurel. The little girl's fingers worked twice as fast, sloppy but delicate in their haste. Raven's nimble fingers circled the gentle flower parts, binding them without any help from her powers.

"I wish you'd stay with me." Raven said to the little girl, not stopping her work, not looking at her either.

HOPE jumped to her feet and laid her laurel on Raven's head. It was an awkward fit but Raven didn't worry about it. HOPE's huge eyes regarded her before her tiny voice opened up. "I can not be your daughter…"

"I know that HOPE. You are a part of me, a part I hold very dear to my heart. I'd wish you'd stay with me so we both could be happy."

"If I stay," HOPE began, sounding more mature than such a small figure should have been able to, "RAGE will follow. RAGE only comes when I do… HappinesS can provide what you desire… what you need."

"HappinesS and JoY are not the same as HOPE." Raven touched the smaller girl's arms.

HOPE nodded. She understood. "One day I'll be big and we can fight off RAGE together. When you don't have to protect me, I'll be by your side just like KnowledgE and BravE."

Raven nodded. Raven placed the laurel she had made on HOPE's head. She and the smaller girl remained amongst the flowers for hours it seemed…

…

Slade's companion regarded him coldly as they watched the energies flow and flex before them.

"Her energies are changing… we must make our move." He said, his voice old and full of malcontent.

"Patience my dear boy, patience." Slade replied, not taking his eye off the colored energy bands dancing across the air.

"I am infinitely older than you." His companion's dark robes rustled as he stepped forward to extend the energies above his hand. The display crumbled and sank into his dark grey skin. Slade turned his head to the side.

"But that is how I address all my subordinates… What makes you any different, Washu⁴?"

Washu stepped forward, emphasizing his slight height advantage. His dark cold eyes bore into Slade's mask, his power flexing and whipping about him. "I have done my part and retrieved my child of AZAR… Now do your part and complete the act."

"Do not worry Washu, when the time is right… I'll send them an engraved invitation… but perhaps you are correct… I should pay them a visit."

End of Part One

A/N

¹ Gabriel: angel

²This is not Jericho Wilson. It's a different Jericho, I used that name for a reason that will become apparent at the end of the story (which is still a while away)

³Only HOPE and RAGE exist in Raven's mind as long haired.

⁴Washu is the third original character I've introduced.

At this point in the story the pairings are: RobxRae, BB+Terra, Cyborg?Celine, Aqualad+Blackfire, Speedy+Sakura


	22. HIVE MIND Part Two

HIVE MIND

Part Two

"Then can you run with barriers?"

"Yes."

"Can you make a barrier and attack with Holy at the same time?"

Terra leaned as close to Sakura as she dared. She had already showered that day and had absolutely no desire to be caught in Sakura's rain of pity. Sakura had been sulking for exactly three days. Speedy had been gone for exactly three days. The correlation was lost on no one. In those three days Sakura hadn't trained (because no one was brave enough, except for Robin, who was much more interested in spending his free time with Raven than taking and giving a beating); she hadn't meditated, slept very poorly and refused to cook. Most of the other Titans paid little attention to her. Getting to her usually required a boat and a lot of self control. Most of the Titans had neither. She didn't say much, or at least didn't think about what she was saying. She was almost running on autopilot. Terra found she preferred Sakura's company that way.

"I can… but it's difficult. Attacking with Holy takes a lot more focus."

Terra pushed a strand of blonde hair from over her right eye. "Can you make multiple barriers?" She asked.

Sakura sighed. "I'm working on it with Raven…" Sakura turned her head to eye Terra, the water seeming to stop for a moment. "Why are you so concerned?"

Terra leaned back with her eyes wide. "I was just thinking… with Raven always going off to meditate by herself and with Speedy gone--" Sakura groaned and the rain cloud returned full force. It expanded twice its original size, catching Terra in the shower. "With everything happening without us," Terra began again; her words were fast and loud, trying to out-compete the storm. "I figure we could train together… so we both can get better."

The cloud dissipated over their heads. Sakura sat up and looked Terra up and down. She smirked¹. "You just want to throw rocks at me."

Terra nodded. Sakura chuckled. "Un." (Okay.)

…

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg called victoriously as Celine read off his measurements. "Six four, two hundred pounds of pure power! Alright! I can defend the city all by myself!" Cyborg flexed his muscles and broke out into song: "When there's trouble you know what to do--CALL CYBORG! He can shoot a rocket from his shoe--- 'CAUSE HE'S CYBORG! Do da do da… something like that. Nana nana big fluffy cat! That's right!"²

Starfire, Celine and Beast Boy sweat dropped.

"I like the beat… but the words need a lot of work." Beast Boy said.

"Agreed." Starfire said. "I did not know it was customary to break into the song when a physical is performed."

"It's not Star… He's just strange." Celine replied.

Cyborg ignored her and continued to flex.

"Alright Star. You're up." Starfire stepped forward and allowed the measurements to be taken. "Weight's the same but you've grown just a bit. You're about five eight and a half now."

Beast Boy stepped forward.

"Do me next Celine!" Beast Boy said.

"Why? You just had a check up two months ago."

"I know, but I feel like I've grown a bit."

Celine pulled the measuring tape from Beast Boy's feet to his head. Her eyes furrowed. She opened up Beast Boy's last records.

"Beast Boy! You're sprouting like a weed! That's three inches in nine weeks!"

Beast Boy took his turn at flexing. "Three inches! Dude! That's awesome! What's that make me? Six feet? Six one?"

"Five seven." Celine dead panned.

Beast Boy pouted. Celine laughed behind her hand for a moment. Behind her back a small flashing light alerted her that her console required her attention. The other Titans followed her to the common room.

Celine watched her computer gather data about the crime in progress. She frowned. She hadn't expected this.

"It's the HIVE. They're downtown… it looks like they trying to break into the… Embassy."

"That's not like the HIVE…There's nothing of value in there." Beast Boy said.

"Not to us." Celine replied. Her fingers pressed keys quickly, trying to gather more information. "I suggest you go before they advance their plan from breaking and entering to theft… there's something in there that they want… lets make sure they don't get it."

The Titans arrived at the Embassy in a few minutes. The HIVE was waiting for them. They weren't trying to steal anything. They were luring out the Titans.

"Look who finally showed up. If we had wanted to we could have tore the whole place down." Mammoth grunted from his perch on a crushed display box.

"These crud chewers aren't even worth our time." Gizmo stated, extending his spider legs.

"Yeah, but we've go a job to do." replied See-More.

"So let's do it." Private HIVE didn't wait to see if anyone was with him.

Immediately See-More engaged Star and Blackfire. "Doll eyes! Long time no see." See-More turned his eyes to Blackfire and smirked. "Another one? I wonder what I can see with my X-ray vision?" Blackfire blinked. Starfire gasped and threw her body in front of Blackfire's. See-More laughed. "Got ya!" Star gasped again and crossed her arms over her body. Blackfire turned her eyes to Starfire. Star looked back at her then they both turned their eye beams on See-More. The purple and green beams hurled him thirty feet. See-More's body flew past a green kangaroo and Mammoth.

Beast Boy hopped about, spinning his fist like a boxer. Mammoth leapt forward, arms trying to grab the nimble marsupial. Beast Boy's right arm wound up and delivered a solid straight punch to Mammoth's stomach. The massive anti-Titan hunched over in pain, setting himself up perfectly for a tag team drop kick from Aqualad and Robin.

Private HIVE dove at Raven and Terra. His beefy arm dropped back to swing. Raven produced a barrier, protecting the girls. Private HIVE continued to bash his fists against the barrier.

"He's persistent isn't he?" Terra asked.

"I was thinking stupid." Raven replied. Private HIVE pulled his arm back for another strike when it was interrupted.

"Huh?" Private HIVE's arm wrenched back towards his shoulder, straining his neck. He looked over and saw a smiling blue eye.

"Play nice." Cyborg said before tossing Private HIVE over his shoulder. Private HIVE soared through the air, flailing his arms. He landed with a solid thud on the pile that consisted of See-More and Mammoth.

Gizmo sprung forward on his spider legs, jumping about Sakura. She stayed perfectly still, watching him move with her eyes.

"Come on snot brain! Attack! Or are you just a crud chewing yellow belly chicken?" He bounded smoothly, hoping to her left and right, not staying still for more than a second. Gizmo finally landed behind Sakura's back. He pressed a button on his control panel and unleashed two rockets. Sakura turned swiftly and swung her weapon like a baseball bat, exploding the rockets in the air. The explosion wrapped her in dust. Gizmo laughed mechanically. The laughing ended when the hiraikotsu emerged from the cloud, spinning with him as its target. Gizmo screamed and watched as the spinning boomerang slice off the legs of his spider craft. The half-pint, annoying anti-Titan ejected from the smashed craft before the return path of the hiraikotsu could take him out. He fled to the air, watching a hand emerge from the smoke to catch the weapon. Sakura and the other Titans stepped forward in a line and regarded Gizmo.

"You pit sniffin' barf brains can't defeat the Fearsome Five!"

Beast Boy scratched his head. "Uhh… there's only four of you."

Gizmo grumbled under his breath. A black lever with a red button extended from his flight pack. "Get ready to eat it you crud chewing, cludge-headed, scrum-buffer---"

An empty display case, shrouded in black energy, smashed into the side of Gizmo's head. The bald boy dropped formlessly, landing in the pile of the other three members of the Fearsome Five.

"Way to go Raven." Robin said.

"Man that guy's annoying!" Terra added.

"So," Aqualad said, turning to his companions. "Was it just me or was that terribly easy?"

"Yeah, they didn't have Jinx with them." Cyborg replied. The team spread out, looking for any sign of remaining danger.

"It was over almost as soon as it started." Raven said as she approached Robin.

"It's not over yet." The mechanical hiss and drum caught the team off guard.

Before the Titans could realize what direction that voice came from, five rounded Xs shot from the perimeter of the room, each of them catching one of the female Titans by the waist, locking their arms to their sides. The force of the grab knocked them all to the ground. Before anyone could react, a magnetic force pulled all the rounded X's towards each other, slamming the five girls into the center of room. In a ring of five the girls sat shoulder to shoulder, all with a center view of Red X descending from the raptures.

Celine watched her output reading. "This doesn't make sense." Her fingers dove across the keypad. The energy field was picking up two unaccounted for life forms: one had to be Red X, the other was…. Celine's eyes widened. "That's not possible!" Celine dashed from her chair, knocking it over in her haste. She didn't pause in her run even when she snagged her Fire Fly from its post. The automatic doors slammed close behind her. The energy output machine continued to flash Red.

Red X unleashed several X-bombs, throwing the male Titans back. Red X landed on the balls of his feet, quickly turning to approach the bound female Titans.

"Looks like I got the top prize." X stepped forward confidently, something red and menacing twirling along his fingers. A sealing X dashing from his hand and landed on Raven's mouth, silencing any spell she was considering. Raven sat between Terra and Sakura, Blackfire on Terra's right and Starfire on Sakura's left. Each of them twisted to free themselves from the bind. Red X put his finger to his cheek. "I guess I've got myself a mixed bouquet." He stepped forward to Sakura, flipping her chin up with his finger. "So what kind of flower are you?" Sakura narrowed her eyes. A green eye beam slammed into Red X's side, hurling the imposter away from the five girls. X recovered and threw another X, this one latching onto Starfire's eyes. "Don't know how I forgot about that one."

Robin and Aqualad recovered first. The Atlantian turned to the Titan's leader. "Is that this guy's M.O? Showing up when other bad guys do?"

"He has a nasty habit of hanging on other's coat tails." Robin replied. Behind him Beast Boy and Cyborg shook themselves off.

"It's a good thing I'm such a nice guy. I could have taken all your pretty girls away as slow as you recover." Red X stated. Behind him four of the bound girls screamed. Blackfire had tried to break the band with her own eye beams. Red X turned his head to the side. "I wouldn't try that again. The shocks only get worse the harder you struggle."

"What do you want X?" Robin sneered.

"To do what I want of course. I like stealing. There's something here I want."

"The Disk." Cyborg muttered.

"Right-o." Red X turned in profile, his eyes focused on Raven. "Last time Raven stopped me, but now that she's in dispose, I'll get what I came for." The flying Xs appeared from Red X's palms aimed with well designed accuracy. The male Titans shielded themselves for the attacks and Red X took his opportunity to tumble in a series of back flips towards the five bound girls. He landed perfectly in the space between the girl's bodies. He leaned his head over Raven's right shoulder. "I'll be back for you later Sunshine. I haven't forgotten about us." Raven rocked her head back, trying to strike Red X. Red X flipped and faded into the shadow.

The dust settled, clearing Robin's path. His masked eyes darted around the room, looking for any remaining trace of X. There was none. He was gone. "He's after that disk."

"So we know where he's going." Cyborg said, "Let's be sure that he's got a welcoming committee when he gets there."

"Hey! Could you get us out first?" Terra yelled.

The males ran to the girls' aid. Cyborg grabbed the band around Raven's waist with both hands and pulled. Raven's eyes widened in surprise, behind the X, her scream was muffled. The other girls screamed as well. Cyborg panicked, looking down at his hands. Under his fingers, the band was constricting tighter, pulling the metal against their skin.

"Stop helping!" Terra yelled.

Beast Boy pulled the X from Raven's mouth. She grimaced; she could feel the red skin flaming up. She shook her head. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The black energy pooled around the metal Xs and pulled. A tremor of electric energy raced along the steel, sending another painful series of shocks into their bodies.

"There's got to be a way to get them out without hurting them." Beast Boy pulled the remaining X from Starfire's eyes.

Raven turned her head to her leader. "Go and get X. We'll find a way out of this!"

"But Raven…"

"Don't worry about us! Don't let him get away again!"

Robin nodded. "Aqualad, stay behind and make sure nothing happens to them. Beast Boy, Cyborg, lets get X."

The three Titans dashed deeper into the embassy, trying to remember the appropriate turns. It was the second dead end that made them realize they were lost. Cyborg punched in his comm-link. "Celine! Which way do we go? Do you have a trace on X?" The other line was dead. "Celine? Celine! Of all the times…"

"Dude! Where could she be? She lives for the battle console!" Beast Boy replied.

A flicker of movement in the corner of his eye grabbed Robin's attention. There was red and with it was bound to be X. "Titans move!" Robin headed the run, trailing behind Red X. The copy cat thief fazed in and out of vision, but always returned where the Titans could find them. Robin had a suspicion that they were being lead into a trap… but when it came to X, the risk of a trap was negated by his desire to catch him.

Eventually X led them to the safe where the disk was stored. He turned his back to the team and set about opening it. Robin charged forward.

…

Aqualad paced around the complicated trap, trying to find something that looked like weakness. He had tried dumping the fountain water on them, hoping to short circuit the system. Instead he got five angry stares from five waterlogged female Titans. He laughed nervously and kept his distance as he tried to come up with another plan.

Sakura twisted her wrist against her body, flexing it, allowing her to grab the band around her waist. Terra watched in horror as her Holy energy wrapped around her fist.

"That won't work! And I don't want to get shocked!"

Sakura ignored her. "He's equalizing the Titan's powers… Raven's words, Cyborg's strength… he knew exactly what to do to keep them back… why would he know anything about me?"

The silver power spread along her fingers, slipping like wave of water across the metal. The Holy energy spun around the constricting bands and sunk in. For a few seconds nothing happened.

A short spark was heard. Blackfire squeaked. Another short spark, Terra gasped with a jerk. Another set of sparks danced across the constricting bands. Soon all the noise stopped. It was the only warning they got before a powerful electric surge ran through all the girls, drawing cries of pain from all of them. Aqualad panicked, willing to do anything to hush their cries. He ran to Blackfire's side and with all his might pulled on the band. The charges ran through his body, he gritted his teeth against the pain and continued to pull. Blackfire watched with one eye drawn shut from the pain. The band was constricting around her body painfully, adding more suffering to the trap. She could see that the electricity was affecting Aqualad as well, but he continued to pull.

A sharp explosion originated at the space between Aqualad's hands. The blast knocked Aqualad to his back and threw smoke into Blackfire's eyes. The smoke cleared, the charges finally stopped, but the bands didn't release. Aqualad stared dumbfounded at the five girls; their hair was standing straight up, electric pulses running through the length. They all looked like brides of Frankenstein. Terra turned a furious eye to Sakura. She was too angry to say anything, her face said enough.

"Oh don't give me that!" Sakura replied, her pony tails were a playground for electric sparks. Terra glared at her, a charge running up her hair.

A dashing figure, body cloaked in shadow, passed the electrified girls. The wind raced by them, stealing all the static from their hair.

"What was that?" Aqualad asked.

"All I could see was black and red." Starfire replied. After a second, a solid 'clink' sound was heard. The girls looked around unable to find the source. In an unexpected moment, the constricting rings fell off. The girls turned their eyes from their lefts to their rights.

"Anyone know how that happened?" Raven asked.

Negative shakes all around. "Come on!" Terra shouted, pulling herself up. "Let's go follow whatever that was! It went in the same direction of that X guy!"

The other girls stood and chased the fleeting image.

…

Red X didn't turn to face Robin's attack. **He** wasn't going to fight. _Not yet anyway_. _I'll let her have some fun… then I'll have my playtime with Sunshine._

Robin leapt into the air to attack, his foot extended in front of him. Only a few feet away from his target his eyes widened in surprise. He didn't have enough time to react. Cyborg and Beast Boy could see: in mid-attack, a red flare struck Robin in the chest. He fell onto his back, a sharp pain searing through his body.

"Where did that come from?" Cyborg and Beast Boy rushed to Robin's side. The Titans leader was stunned, that attack had done the trick.

The red energy came again dashing at Cyborg and Beast Boy. Close up they could see what Robin had. The flare was distinct. The red energy was a Red Hawk screaming towards them, mouth open to destroy its prey. Beast Boy jumped out of the way, the screaming energy smashed into the wall behind him, creating a huge hole. He sweated nervously. _That could have been me…_

The energy directed at Cyborg met him head on, sending the mechanical Titan into the air. He landed with a solid thud, his circuitry arching and hissing. Getting up was a struggle he was losing. Cyborg laid a hand over his chest, the attack had damaged his plating, a deep red burn markered his wound.

"What was that?" Cyborg asked as he and Robin pulled themselves to their feet.

"It wasn't me." Red X said, still not turning to face the Titans.

"Of course not… because it was me." A female figure leapt down from the raptures. She landed with a soft click, her high heeled grey boots tapped the floor. From her left hand her weapon dangled. The sharp red glow was evidence that it was the energy source for her attack. The sword blade kissed the ground as she stalked forward. The light began to reveal her features; long legs under a short skirt, dark grey shirt pinned to her slim body. Draped over her left arm was a leather cloth. It hung limply, resting against her arm, but it displayed the muscle perfectly. Her dark red hair hung ferally down her back, it was more like a mane than anything else.

Beast Boy, Cyborg and Robin stared in disbelief. The girl in front of them, even with her eyes painted dark brown, even dressed in such an unusual outfit, stood out to their memories as only one person. She was beautiful, she was statuesque, she was dangerous.

"Cat got your tongue?" She asked. "I hope not… I was so looking forward to snatching it out myself."

"Who are you?" Cyborg whispered.

"Know you not my name? It is known by many… but dead men tell no tales…"

Red X made a single dash against the wall he was facing, cutting a slab from building. The panel fell forward, missing Red X by only a few inches. "Red Hawk…" X said, his attention still focused in front of him. "You're so cool."

Cyborg was too stunned to move. He might have ducked under other circumstances when he heard the sonic power charging behind his ear. The blue noise smashed against his eardrum as the wave of energy soared over his shoulder. The blue beam sought out its target. It was aimed at Red Hawk. The girl raised her blade, taking an arching stance and waited. When the energy finally reached her, the blade sung with a fatal red glow, as fiery as the woman's hair. A single swing of her blade dissipated the energy.

Behind the Titans, several pairs of footsteps echoed along the room, running closer and closer to the site of interest. Raven's feet slid to a stop as she and the other girls took in the scene before. With her Fire Fly cannon poised on her shoulder, Celine stood perfectly still, an uneasy grimace on her face. Directly in front of her…. Was Celine.

Beast Boy shook his head back and forth from the two nearly identical girls. He blinked his eyes hard, trying to rid any tricks his mind was playing on him. There was no trick, there were two Celine Fletchers, staring each other down with weapons ready.

"Dude! I didn't know Celine had a twin!"

Celine stared at the enemy before her, her weapon trained with dead accuracy. She wasn't going to let her guard down, but she definitely wasn't going to attack first. Not until she knew what was going on.

"She doesn't." Red Hawk taunted, stepping closer to Celine. Her sword dangled beside her, her painted eyes narrowed as her foot steps circled her mirror image. "Or do you?"

Celine's grimace turned into a sneer, her focus remained steady as the heartbeat in her chest grew more anxious. "That's not my twin…" Celine's voice dropped and stumbled. "It's me…"

End of Part Two

¹Sakura, like Robin, can't resist a fight.

²Cyborg's funniest moment ever! It was the only thing I liked about Titans East (besides Speedy and Aqualad of course.)


	23. HIVE MIND Part Three

HIVE MIND

Part Three

The rest of the Titans had cleared the area minutes ago. The semi-circle of heroes arched around Celine like a buffer. Celine stood perfectly still, both eyes trained on Red Hawk. Red Hawk paced back and forth, looking Celine up and down as if looking for a flaw in her design.

"So you're the original? My, my, my, what a pretty girl you are. I always thought my design was a little grandiose… but I suppose I shouldn't complain."

Celine's brown eyes darted swiftly looking for all the modifications that she knew were present: the bowie knife for throwing, the poison powder for spitting, and the exploding beads as a last resort. Every one was tucked securely against Red Hawk's body, accessible as she saw fit. Celine waited; letting the other girl rattle on, lest she invoke the use of any of them.

The Titans were a group divided. Half stared down the standstill in the middle of the room; the others watched Red X slowly, carefully expose layers and layers of defenses, working his way closer and closer to his goal. Robin gritted his teeth. Celine had told them all to stand back, that Red Hawk was much more of a threat than anything Red X could get his hands on. The warning her eyes told Robin that Celine knew more about the situation than he did, at least for the moment. Raven stood beside Robin, watching him watching Red X. Celine's warning had given Red X all the time in the world to achieve his goal, it all seemed like quite the elaborate set up. It was hard for Raven to understand what was going on, looking at near mirror images of a girl she trusted, one face showing good, one face showing evil. Raven let her eyes drop from Robin's profile to his hand at his side. It was a situation she had been in before; it was a situation Robin was suffering through for the first time. Raven resisted the urge to hold Robin's hand. Instead she placed a discrete hand on the swell of his right shoulder. He turned his head slightly to the side, towards the gentle touch. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes. They opened slowly, hidden behind his mask.

"He didn't think we'd ever met. He hoped not… he said it might inspire jealousy that might lead me to break you… and he doesn't want that. He wants that pleasure all for himself." Red Hawk's voice dipped a little, whispering something that was beyond Celine's hearing.

"Who's he?" Celine asked.

"My creator, your creator, our creator! The one who inspired such a marvelous thing from you! It takes true genius to unearth the absolute potential in great minds."

"I don't have a creator… Return my weapon and my armor." Celine demanded, readying her fingers. The scouter shadowed her eye as it trained on Red Hawk.

"But… how will I play? Will you play with me? You like my toys don't you? You like your toys don't you?" Red Hawk took an offensive stance, drawing back her sword.

"Bingo." Red X's voice was the only sound heard in that moment. The safe finally gave way silently. He reached in retrieved what he came for. He tossed the small disk into the air sharply, catching it within a microsecond. When Red Hawk heard the clap of black gloves against a plastic disk a smile crossed her face. Her head tilted menacingly, her eyes trained on Celine. The moment she sprung forward, Robin did as well, racing across the parameter of the room, heading directly to Red X.

Red Hawk changed her movements faster than a human should have been able to. Her sword tilted and waved, dispensing a screaming energy blast to intercept Robin's path. At that moment, as the energy flew from the tip of Red Hawk's sword, Celine drove her heels into the floor and took aim. To the rest of the Titans it seemed like the moment came in slow motion. Raven watched the flaming hawk dive at Robin while the rest of the team stared at Celine's attack's dash, the backlash wiping her red hair behind her.

The other Titans could only watch the blue energy soar from Celine's cannon. It was almost beautiful, it was definitely tragic. Red Hawk turned slowly and faced the blue beam. Her head tilted with a mischievous smile. Just as the beam was about to strike her, Red Hawk spun her sword, bracing the blade against the palm of her hand.

"Ori-Daga!" Short silver runes began to glow along the length of the weapon. When the energy struck the sword, it rebounded and dispersed. The blue wave had failed. The red one did not.

The red hawk screamed and connected with its target, the Boy Wonder took another attack to his side. The force of the blow slammed him into the support column of the western wall. The column splintered with the impact. Robin slid to the floor holding his side.

"Robin!" Raven cried.

Raven rushed to his side. He was sweating heavily; the force of the attack had done a lot of damage. Raven laid her hands on him, sending her power to heal his body. Red X watched the display and decided that tender moments are best interrupted. With a flawless syncopation, Red X and Red Hawk stalked forward. X took to the air, foot aimed for the pair of teen heroes. Red Hawk had Celine in her sights. Robin watched the decent of X, from where they were standing Raven would have taken most of the blow.

"Raven! Run!" Robin shoved the girl as hard as he could. She slid back only a few feet, just enough to see Robin cross an arm over his face, bracing himself for the blow. Red Hawk's sword clashed against the barrel of the Fire Fly, each swing erupting sparks from the device. Celine stepped and parried, moving the fight away from the other Titans. The swift jab to her jaw knocked Celine off her feet. Above her head she could see Starfire and Sakura making a move.

Starfire dashed into the air and unleashed a frenzy of starbolts.

"No! Don't!" Celine yelled grabbing her footing. The starbolts blitzed and stung around Red Hawk. The dust rose with every blast, swirling the cloud around Red Hawk's hips and ankles. She stood perfectly still until one finally connected. The blow staggered her, knocking dust around her head, blanketing her form. The glow diminished from Starfire's eyes. The team watched the cloud of dust settle… Red Hawk wasn't there.

Red X's blow connected with an arm, but not the one he had targeted. Sakura had made it just in time, pushing Robin out of the way. Red X perched on Sakura's extended limb, looking down on her.

"Didn't see that coming." Red X admitted.

X pushed off, catapulting himself backwards. The expert thief recovered, turning a back flip and landing on his feet. Red X charged forward, kicking the older girl in the stomach. X continued his assault; lashing kicks and tumbling blows were matched until he ducked under Sakura's guard and delivered sharp kick. The blow left Sakura open, X grabbed her arm and flung her like rag doll, slamming her back into the wall. Red X dashed again, arm dropped back for another strike.

The Titans searched the area, trying to find a trace of Red Hawk's movement. It was Starfire who found her, or rather; it was Red Hawk that made her self known to Starfire. The Tameranian princess didn't have time to react when Red Hawk materialized behind her. The Celine-mimic spun sharply, the momentum driving her elbow into Starfire's back. She crashed to the ground with a solid thud. Aqualad and Blackfire ran to her aid. Red Hawk watched, a cool smile on her face. She drew her weapon back, the red feral glow taking over the blade.

X leapt into the air, palm stretched out to deliver his attack. His blow was interrupted when Robin dove and tackled him, sending both of the masked fighters rolling across the floor. Raven rushed to Sakura. The unconscious girl looked only slightly damaged. Raven put her hand on Sakura's forehead and sent her energy into her. The backlash hurled Raven back. She sat up weakly and saw the Holy energy retreat into the unconscious girl's body. _What happened?_

Before the flaming energy could escape the blade a blue sonic beam slammed into Red Hawk, knocking her from the air. She recovered, landing on both feet, to face Celine. The Fire Fly was becoming hot from use, the heat making Celine's red hair stick to the side of her face. Red Hawk smiled, flicking a lock of her own hair back behind her shoulder. The blade tip kissed the ground before she dashed to meet Celine head on.

Robin and Red X struggled for dominance, the masked fighters making each other strength for strength.

"Why do you want the disk?" Robin gritted out trying to force his arms back towards X.

X leaned in closer, pressing his advantage. "Why should I tell you anything?" A sharp pain ran through Robin's arms, two Xs pinned his wrists to the floor. He yelled in frustration as Red X abandoned him for the fever of the fight between Red Hawk and Celine.

The air shifted with their movements, dark red hair flicked and flew with every push of a weapon, with every block and parry. Cyborg and Terra stood stunned, side by side, watching Celine fight her double. Beast Boy bit his nails frantically, engaged in the action. Red Hawk and Celine fought evenly, a quick trip pulled the fight into Celine's favor. Red Hawk stumbled, Celine's boot shot out, knocking her the final distance to the floor. Before Red Hawk could pull herself up, she felt the warm barrel of the Fire Fly against her ear. She tilted her head to the side, just enough to let Celine know she was listening.

"Who are you?" Celine asked, keeping her finger tight against her trigger.

Red Hawk laughed silently. Celine watched the glimmer of mischief wink in Red Hawk's eye. "My name is Precis Anderson!" Celine's eyes widened in shock, taking in the information Red Hawk had so readily given. Red Hawk dropped her elbow quickly, sliding her form under Celine's guard. Her position was perfect for delivering an elbow into Celine's middle. Celine stumbled and received a strike with the butt of Red Hawk's sword. Celine fell backwards, directly under the target of Red X's boot. She watched helplessly as X maintained his dissent, neither of them saw the green kangaroo coming.

Beast Boy morphed, his kangaroo form leaped nimbly, delivering a heavy uppercut into X's side, throwing him off his course. Celine watched them both soar over her head. X slammed into the ground, rolling just in time to avoid a pair of two feet long feet stomping across his face. X spun on his hand, bringing him back to his feet.

"I never did like animals…"

Celine pulled herself to her feet as Red Hawk dashed at Beast Boy. Her Fire Fly dropped perfectly across her shoulder, the sonic energy charged and shot forward. Just before the energy connected, Red Hawk fazed. The energy shot by Beast Boy, missing X by a few inches.

Red X leapt into the air. The Titans watched as he and Red Hawk materialized on a support beam. Red X retrieved the disk from his belt and tossed it in the air, catching it swiftly.

"Well kids, it's been fun, but we've got very important people to see."

Celine dropped to a knight's kneel, raising her weapon to fire one more shot. The short blade embedded into ground not a foot away from her knee. Her eyes narrowed at Red Hawk and watched the two thieves shift and vanish into the darkness. Celine dropped her weapon to the ground, leaning forward to wrench the bladed weapon from the ground. It was Red Hawk's Bowie knife. It was **her** bowie knife… not a copy… the original.

Cyborg and Beast Boy approached Celine while Star and Blackfire wrenched the metallic Xs from across Robin's wrists. Robin rubbed the sore skin before stalking towards Celine.

"Celine! What was that?" Robin yelled.

Celine regarded the short weapon in her hand. "That was Red Hawk… my failed experiment."

"You made that?" Cyborg asked. Celine nodded, stashing the Bowie knife into her jacket.

"I made it… and someone stole it."

"We know who don't we? Don't we just need to find that Precis Anderson person?" Terra asked.

Celine shook her head in the negative. "We'll be chasing a ghost. Precis Anderson was the code name I used in Operation Red Hawk Sting. Chasing that name will lead back to me…"

"I think you need to explain." Robin said, stepping closer.

Celine nodded. "Let's go back to the tower… I'll make this all make perfect sense."

Robin nodded. "Wait!" Raven's voice broke up the short silence. The team turned to the long haired sorceress. They noticed what Raven had. Sakura hadn't regained consciousness.

"Sakura?"

Cyborg stepped forward and lifted the black haired girl from the ground. He turned back to the rest of the group, a grimace set across his face. "Let's get back to the tower. We'll take care of all of this there."

End of Part Three


	24. HIVE MIND Part Four

HIVE MIND

Part Four

"Brother Blood has been the AGU's main objective for nearly five years. His malfeasance has spread through out this side of the country, taking control of anxious and gifted children, building them into his expendable weapons. Three years ago… his trail went cold."

The Titans sat arranged in the common room. Cyborg stood uncomfortably close to Celine as she displayed images and figures across a holo-projector. The spinning image of Brother Blood made his circuits fry.

"The AGU knew that Blood was lying low, creating a plan that would involve the lives of many and the wars of many more. We just didn't know what… but we knew how…"

"The HIVE academy." Cyborg posited.

"Exactly. Blood has an exceptional mind, he can control the strong and brave as well as the weak and the vulnerable. He prefers the vulnerable ones… and there isn't anything more fragile than the mind of a child… The HIVE academy was the perfect base for his operations… if we could get in… we could get Blood."

The holo-projector's display changed. Two girls stood on display. One was Bumble Bee. The other was Red Hawk.

"The AGU wanted to implant agents into the HIVE academy and scout any activity that could be traced to Brother Blood's next plan. Bumble Bee and I were assigned… Bumble Bee went as herself… I needed a disguise."

The holo-projector's red alternative light flickered across Beast Boy's face as he stared closely at the display. "So you made Red Hawk to catch a bad guy." He said, waving his fingers across the image. The image split, leaving just Red Hawk on display.

"I made Red Hawk to be boisterous and powerful, someone that Brother Blood would notice and draw into his web… but I did too well it seems… he drew me in and found me out."

"So your cover was blown and you left… And Bee stayed behind? When I was in the HIVE… I saw Bee but didn't know who she was."

"And neither did she until after you made a move against Blood. She reported back to the AGU and stayed with you, hoping that you'd some how draw Blood out again… but until recently… there hasn't been any activity to tie to him… nothing to go on."

"That explains the past… but what about now?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Celine rested her cheek in her hand, standing toe to toe with her display unit.

"Red Hawk and Red X are working together to get that disk. Whatever was on it was worth a lot of money if X wanted it… who do you think was buying it?" Cyborg asked.

"Someone who knows a lot about me and what I've done… to create Red Hawk…"

"Celine… what did you mean when you said that Red Hawk was you?" Beast Boy asked.

"Doppelganger."

In the silence a sharp ringing pulled their gazes to Celine's console. It was a call from Bumble Bee.

"You were right… it's gone. The trove's totally empty. All the weapons and the armor…"

"Just like I thought."

"Celine, what are you talking about? What did you mean by Doppelganger?" Robin asked.

"A perfect mimic of me… she has my skills, my talents, even my chemical signature." Celine replied.¹

"So we're dealing with a clone?" Aqualad asked.

Celine sighed and turned off the holo-projector. "With a unique personality… you can't engineer that, there's no way to program irrationality so you can't get a perfect character. But, I think she was perfectly engineered. She was created and expedited, a generation born from a present state… we're dealing with creation science, which is illegal…she was given my talents by someone who knew enough about me…"

Robin stepped closer to Celine and turned the holo-projector back on. He turned his masked eyes to the taller titan. "Just like someone did with me and Red X."

The Titans stepped back in surprise. The origin of Red X became clear… but they were no closer to understanding where either of them came from.

"Robin… when you stored your X suit, you stored it in an AGU bank right?"

"Of course. I filed my report with the Armed Guards about the entire incident. Why?"

"And you secured the suit using the AGU's universal code didn't you?" Robin nodded. "Just like I did." Celine continued. "Getting my DNA is easy… getting my armor isn't. Whoever got the suits for the Doppelgangers would have to know that code."

"That means a member of the AGU… past or present." Robin posited.

"It would make sense that whoever took the suits has a big role in the doppelgangers." Cyborg added.

"And then only someone very smart and not against breaking rules…" A lighting bulb blinked to life above Robin's head. "Titans… I think its time we paid Professor Chang another visit."

In the medic room, Raven frowned at the unconscious girl lying before her. The fight hadn't been too taxing on anyone other than Celine who had seemed to recover rather well. But Sakura wasn't waking up. Raven had tried to using her powers to induce reanimation, but Sakura's Holy power arched and flared when she tried. The Holy power was keeping her out.

"I guess that's the draw back of countering powers… we can't help each other."

Raven stared at the other girl as if her concentration would inspire consciousness. It had been nearly three hours and Sakura hadn't moved a muscle. Raven leaned over the older girl, wiping the tiny sweat beads from her brow. Behind her, Beast Boy and Aqualad crossed the hall, carrying on a conversation.

"Yeah, I saw him a few minutes in the training room. Speedy's got the best timing, he comes back right when the action is about to start."

Raven nearly had a heart attack when Sakura sat straight up from her bed. Her brown eyes widened and a smile took up nearly her entire face. She leapt from the bed gracefully and took off in a frantic run… straight for the training room. Raven pulled herself up from the floor, a twitch jerking the corner of her mouth towards her ear. _And she teased me about having a crush!_

…

Finding Professor Chang wasn't hard. But the mad scientists rarely were. Professor Chang continued his work as eleven Titans circled around him, keeping him in their sights. Robin stepped forward, Bo-staff drawn. The cool metal tapped the side of Chang's glasses, the sharp pang of metal on metal echoed through the cold air.

"You have turned into quite the botheration." Professor Chang said, pushing the rounded metal from his face. He turned his body to face the group, eyes traveling past Robin to the brown skinned girl behind him and to the giant beam cannon hanging from her side. He nodded as if finally answering a question in his mind.

"Professor Yildindan Chang, AGU member 87093." Celine said, looking Chang into his hidden eyes.

"Congratulations, you're capable of reading history. I would reward you but I am thoroughly unimpressed."

"You were a member of the AGU for thirty seven years as a leader in biotechnology… but your funding was cancelled when you stepped into the arena of human research: you made clones and the Council of Ethics in Scientific Practice said it was against all regulations…"

"Fools all of them. All of them afraid of the greatest potential being expressed in mankind."

"You made doppelgangers… you performed a creation science... which is forbidden." Robin said, spinning his staff before tucking it under Professor Chang's chin.

"But I'm **_mad_**²… Why would I listen to the rules that keep me from doing whatever I want?"

"You're the only person in the world with the resources and scientific knowledge to do it. So we know you created the doppelgangers…" Cyborg said. "Why did you do it?"

Professor Chang pushed Robin's weapon from across his neck. His lab coat rustled stiffly as he approached Celine. Cyborg extracted his beam cannon, halting the mad scientist in his place. Celine tilted her head at the display before turning a determined eye to Chang. "I'd answer the question if I were you… Why did you make the doppelgangers?"

"I made both at the requests of very important men. They seemed very eager to have you both in their possessions."

Celine narrowed her eyes. Robin crossed his arms over his chest.

"Names." Robin demanded.

"I can't tell you what I don't know. You would know better than I would." Professor Chang replied, turning both his arms behind his back.

"How many people know about Red Hawk?"

"More specifically, how many **important** people with the resources to create another **human being** know about Red Hawk?" Raven added.

Cyborg knew the answer. "Blood."

"That would explain the HIVE strike… Blood **did** want us to encounter Red Hawk." Celine replied, turning to face the mechanical Titan.

"So we know why the Red Hawk… but why was the Red X there?" Starfire asked.

"I suppose the same question applies. Who would want Red X? Who's so concerned with Robin?"

"Slade."

"Slade and Brother Blood are working together? Oh man! This is not good!" Beast Boy collapsed to the floor in panic.

"But to what ends?" Aqualad asked.

"They both want the same thing." Sakura suggested.

"That disk… What do you think is on it?" Terra asked.

"Don't know. But we need to find it… we need to find Hawk and X and get the disk back from them before they give it to Blood or Slade." Robin replied.

It was then that the Titans realized that Professor Chang had escaped their notice and escaped their trap.

Speedy kicked up a small stone. "Chang's probably long gone by now. So much for getting a place to start our search…"

"That's not true." Cyborg said. He reached into Celine's jacket and removed Red Hawk's Bowie Knife. "This is a pretty useful tool… Red Hawk is probably going to either get it back or replace it… lets make sure that we're ready when she decides which." Celine nodded.

The Titans exited the building, circling around the T-car.

"That guy is really sketchy… can we trust him?" Terra asked.

"Professor Chang isn't the kind to lie… with the bad blood he has with Red X, I'm sure he'd love to get revenge."

"There is something I do not understand." Starfire began. "If Professor Chang created the Red X, why did they try to destroy each other?"³

Robin turned to the pretty alien. "Chang made something he couldn't control."

Raven stepped to Robin's side. "As for Red X… who doesn't come to hate their creator?"

Cyborg opened the driver's side door to the T-car. "Come on ya'll. Lets head back to the tower… the sooner we find Red Hawk… the sooner we can find Blood." He looked over the car and caught eyes with Celine. After a few seconds, she nodded.

End of Part Four

¹I know that's not the correct definition of a doppelganger, but I really like the word… and I so rarely get the opportunity to use it in a sentence.

²Mad as in crazy.

³So yeah, in the cartoon that never happened. But when I wrote it I swore it had… I swore Chang mentioned it in passing… I guess I was just imposing my will on the show.


	25. HIVE MIND Part Five

HIVE MIND

Part Five

His headache had taken over the entire right side of his face. Under her fingers, Raven could feel the fever building under his skin. Her fingers twirled gently along his temples, easing the stress with a tender massage. She knew why Robin was suffering and it was nothing that could be healed with her powers. Yesterday Robin realized the origin of the new Red X and, once again, it was born at the call of Slade: this time not as a lure, but as a weapon… and once again Robin's plans had backfired.

Slade owned X.

Now they knew for the most part what X was and what they were up against. It should have relieved the Titans leader, but instead it made him more uneased. They knew that they weren't dealing with a new generation of genius or pathology; they were dealing with Robin… some twisted incomplete genesis of the Boy Wonder in his darkest moment.

Raven sighed, letting her fingers trace against Robin's cheeks. She hunched over slightly, putting herself at the perfect position to lean her head across his shoulder, arms wrapping around his arms and chest, wrists locked together. Robin turned his head into the embrace, rubbing his check against hers.

"You should sleep." Robin said, closing his network down.

"You first." Raven whispered. Robin raised a hand, catching both of hers. She let him extract himself from her hold and sat on his lap as he directed her. Her head fitted comfortable under his chin, every exhale moved warm air over her forehead.

"He made X." Robin said finally. Raven didn't have to think about who **he** was. "He made X because he lost me… he created another human being because he desires control over me so much."

"Robin, it isn't your fault. There was no way you could have known all the terrible things Slade is capable of… every time he appears the circumstances are worse and worse."

"Its not just hurting others to get what he wants… Its making sure that everything falls into place… whether we notice our not. Every sat back, every back step, he's three moves ahead of me… of us."

"He failed." Raven stated sharply. She pulled back from him, letting Robin watch her eyes waver. "Slade can't beat us, because we won't let him… even with all his plans, he can't. Red X is flawed. Celine said so herself. Red Hawk was built to perfection with Brother Blood knowing her mind… Slade messed up. Red X isn't like you, because Slade doesn't know you…"

"Raven…"

"Red X was built to copy you, but all it has is your DNA, your weapons and the vision Slade had of you… X doesn't have your heart… Slade doesn't have **you**."

Robin kissed her. He pulled back gently, resting their foreheads against each others. Robin took in the scent of her, the feel of her heat against him. _He doesn't know my heart… because you have it all locked up to yourself… please… keep it safe…_

"You're beautiful." Robin whispered. Raven felt the words more than heard them, Robin's lips danced against her cheek, his breath a smooth warm wind. Raven stood slowly and gave Robin her hand. She walked him to his bedroom, sealing his goodnight with a kiss, and then returned to her own.

…

Cyborg worked diligently in the three hours that Celine slept. Beast Boy and Terra had tried to stay up and help, but they crashed against the furniture, hanging off it in ways that would leave them sore in the morning.

Cyborg's red eye scanned the running data, the holo-projector displaying the specifics of Red Hawk's Bowie knife. The output on materials was going rather slow, Cyborg leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head. His wrists crossed as he pulled his shoulders back. He was starting to feel drained, but he had work to do.

When it came to Blood, Cyborg could be as thorough and tunnel-visioned as Celine was, or Robin was when it came to Slade. Brother Blood had seen through him like a slither of glass. Blood knew what he wanted from Cyborg and had a million different methods for getting his way. Brother Blood represented his greatest fear: being seen as machine not man.

A hand touched the apex of Cyborg's crossed wrists. He tilted his head back and met Celine's gaze. The bright light from the console contrasted against the shadow of the night, throwing light and dark patterns across her face. Her hair was down, her eyes were soft, and her gaze was as breathtaking as ever. She was beautiful.

What a strange mess he'd made.

Celine pulled up a chair beside Cyborg, pulling herself within inches of him. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Cyborg flipped a few switches on the board. "I'm doing a diagnostic scan of the major components of Red Hawk's knife. I figure she isn't going to try and steal it back, I bet she's going to replace it… knowing where the materials that made the knife came from will lead us to where she's going."

"I could have told you that… I already know where the materials came from. I made Red Hawk remember… You could have asked me." Cyborg said nothing. Celine pressed on. "But you're right… she won't be trying to steal it back… she threw it at me like a gauntlet… Brother Blood wants me… and Red Hawk is how he gets me…"

"Why does Blood want you?" Cyborg asked.

"Why does he want you?" Celine replied, there was a harshness in her voice that Cyborg had never heard before.

"I don't know… sometimes he wants the man and sometimes he wants the machine. He's like…"

"Like me?¹" Celine sneered, turning her head to look at him. Her eyes were sharp; the brown irises were narrow and nearly black. It was the look of Red Hawk. When Celine had told the Titans the story of Red Hawk, all her powers and character, Cyborg almost didn't believe her. He knew Celine, as well as any person could know another person, she wasn't capable of such hatred or viciousness, even as an act. _But then again… I've been wrong about her all along… I keep seeing her as a fourteen year old girl… because I want to be a sixteen year old boy again._

"Celine---"

Before he could throw his words and caution to the wind, a sharp beep was emitted for the communication center. It was an incoming call. Celine and Cyborg both raced to the interceptor unit, turning knobs and flipping levers. Both of their hands reached for the same switch at the same moment. Cyborg's hand slipped over it, Celine's falling on his. He turned his eyes to her briefly. She continued to look down. She brushed his hand away and flipped the final lever. The screen burst to life. Dark colors showered the display… the nighttime looked dangerous in the way only the landscape of Bludhaven could.

X and Red Hawk stood nearly side by side. Red Hawk's arms crossed over her chest. Red X leaned against the girl's right shoulder, his left hand tapping the black disk against her collar bone. Even through the concealing mask Cyborg knew he was smirking.

"And here I thought we'd get the machine…"

Red Hawk snorted. "We did…"

The sneer ran from Cyborg's face to Celine's. Red Hawk crossed her hands over her chest. "I want my knife back."

"You'll get what's coming to you!" Celine replied.

"I believe we will all get what we want…"

Cyborg and Celine's eyes widened at the new voice. X and Red Hawk separated, revealing a new body. His figure was imposing as ever. His robes dropped around his slim figure. The deep reds and black fit in perfectly with his companions.

"Blood!"

"It is so very good to see you again Cyborg. A mentor does enjoy seeing his best and worst students…"

"What are you up to?"

"I am simply planning a reunion. A friendly get together… for old time's sake." Blood's voice was convincing, it was perhaps his most valuable weapon.

"There are no old times Blood! Your game is through! Tell us what you're planning!" Celine demanded.

"My my. My dear Armed Guardsman, such a bad temper." Blood turned his head to look at Red Hawk. "I knew you got that from somewhere."

"Don't play games Blood! We know that you made Red Hawk to lure us out! What are you planning?" Cyborg demanded.

"But Cyborg, I've already told you. I want us to have a little reunion. Just the three of us."

Celine turned to Cyborg who looked back at her. She nodded and they both turned back to the screen. "Where do you want to do this?" Cyborg asked.

"Come to Bludhaven. The night sky is particularly warm tonight, so feel free to leave your jackets behind. I think finding the warehouse will be easy enough… if not, I'm sure Red Hawk could love to show you the way." The communications cut. The room went nearly black.

Without saying a word the pair fled the room. The automatic door slammed shut. A few seconds later Terra's foot shot out striking Beast Boy in the shin. "Beast Boy, did you hear that?"

Beast Boy rose groggily. "Yeah… most of it."

"They're going to fight that Blood guy and those doppelganger things all by themselves."

"No, they're not." Beast Boy replied. Terra narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Go wake up Raven. I'll get Robin." Beast Boy commanded.

…

Celine rode shotgun in the T-car in total silence. She had just enough spare concentration to change her clothes into an outfit more appropriate for the upcoming battle. Her AGU uniform was a rather short purple dress, a black jacket and tall black boots. She had only thought to pull her hair up at the last moment. It wasn't beyond Red Hawk to pull hair.²

The warehouse was nearly dead silent. Broken mechanical parts littered the floor, shined on by the light seeping in from weak light bulbs and holes in the roof.

"Be careful… I wouldn't put it past any of them to sneak attack." Cyborg shifted his optical scanner to dark light, allowing him to see further into the darkness. Celine raised the scouter above her eye; the thin glass amplified her viewing field.

"All three of them are here… My scanners picked them up. But the cloaking technology is throwing the signal uphm!" Celine's sentence was interrupted when a knee slammed into her back, knocking the AGU agent to the ground. Over her head her assailant rolled, regaining her footing. Celine had barely pulled herself to her hands and knees when she felt the cool tip of metal under her chin. Red Hawk sneered down at her.

Cyborg exposed his beam cannon with Hawk in his sights. "Don't even think about it."

"Such hostilities amongst good friends. It isn't fitting." Blood emerged from the shadows, taking in the scene before him. He flicked his head at Red Hawk. She drew back her sword, tumbling backwards until she stood to Blood's right. Red X emerged and waited at Blood's left. Cyborg helped Celine up, keeping one eye on the triangle of villainy before him.

"Now that's better. You both are such a sight for old eyes. But you always were." Cyborg could feel Blood's influence spilling into the air around him. He breathed steadily. He'd have to keep control of himself if he was going to make sure that Blood didn't.

"You went through a lot of work to draw us out Blood and I know it wasn't for pleasantries… what do you want?" Cyborg asked.

"You." Blood stated. "I want you to stand by my side as I take over three cities and then the rest of the world."

That cold snap of power swept along Celine's bones. Cyborg felt his blood, flesh and blood, pumping with his heartbeat. "Stop it. That's not going to work Blood. There's nothing you could give me to make me fight for you."

"Yes there is." A sharp pain flashed in Celine's head. She dropped to her knees. "I can give you both what you want." Cyborg felt that terrible and beautiful rush of blood reach his ears, the pace throbbed and banged his circuits. "You both came to me of your own design… to have me remake you in my design."

…

The R-cycle sped fiercely along the cracked roads of south Bludhaven. The helmet protected Robin's eyes from the kicked up pebbles that exploded from the cement in his path. Above his head Raven and Beast Boy soared: Raven's hood was pulled up, Beast Boy's pterodactyl wings flapped fiercely. A few feet lower, Terra rode a slab of the earth, her flux of energy carving her path in the pavement. Robin tightened his grimace. His engine revved as he continued his breakneck ride.

…

"You both came to me… fragile… vulnerable… looking for answers to your place in the universe… And I gave you the answers. I also gave you change. You were weak, but now you're strong. I can make you even stronger."

Red Hawk stepped forward. Blood took her chin under his fingers, regarding her dark eyes. "Cyborg came with a practically flawless design. So close to the ideal that it nearly frightened me. I wanted it… I wanted lots of it. But making it… taking that design and exposing it to all of mankind… I needed a power unlike my own. I needed a source that could build with science rather than imagination. And what luck that I came across the resources to get that science."

"The disk." Cyborg gritted out.

"What is on it?" Celine asked.

"What? The disk? Who knows? I don't even want it. I needed a lure and he said he knew of one that would get your attention."

Red Hawk slipped the disk from Red X's hand as if it were her play thing. "If you want it… you know where to find it." Hawk taunted. Red X stared her down but said nothing.

"You can do what you want with it³… it's served its purpose. The resource I meant was our dear Armed Guardsmen. She delivered herself, exposing the darkest part of her mind to me. She had tried so hard to keep her deepest desires locked behind her mask… You're Ori-Daga was well crafted."

Celine gritted her teeth. "How did you get past my runes?"

"Your rune was designed to keep out Bad Blood⁴. Very clever… but not nearly strong enough. I could see everything you wanted to hide. I could see him… but you had no idea just how beautiful his design really was."

"Him?" Cyborg asked.

"You." Celine replied. "He saw my last memory of you."

"And in that memory I saw perfection… and I came to love you… nearly as much as she did. I want to spread that love across the land like a scourge. Your design and her engineering will make millions of Cyborgs to march across the globe."

"NO!"

"Yes." Blood replied, stepping back between X and Hawk.

"We won't do it!"

"Yes you will… but if my argument isn't persuasive enough… maybe Red Hawk will be."

The red haired fighter smirked and sprung forward.

The warehouse door crumpled easily against the force of Robin's front wheel. The slab of metal collapsed and four Titans spilled into the fray. For a moment they watched Cyborg and Celine fighting off the charges of Red Hawk. The sword fighter leapt into the air, sword flaming red, ready to throw her might at her opponents.

The black shield rebounded the attack; slicing the energy and dispersing it into the warm air. Red Hawk recovered, tumbling back to the side of Brother Blood. Celine and Cyborg turned their heads and watched the four Titans' approach, Raven floating in the air, one black-shrouded hand extended in front of her.

Red X stepped forward. "Sunshine. Didn't expect to see you again…" Raven dropped to the ground. The barrier faded freeing Celine and Cyborg to charge into an attack. Red X and Red Hawk sprung forward, weapons drawn for battle. Robin met Red X head on. The acrobatic fighter swung his bo-staff, knocking away an X-bomb. Red Hawk dodged and parried attacks by both Celine and Cyborg, challenging them both in short combat.

In the fray of the fight, Blood exerted his power, creating a headache in Celine, unbalancing her enough to leave her open to Red Hawk's punch. Celine fell to the ground. Red Hawk pressed her advantage. She stabbed the tip of her blade into the ground and used it as a pivot, swinging her legs in a full circle, her feet colliding with Cyborg. The robotic teen stumbled back, his orientation allowed him to see Blood… he was enjoying himself.

Red Hawk removed her blade from the ground and stalked Celine, her blade ready to strike. Before she could unleash her attack two metal slabs, cloaked in a dark aura, flew at her. She turned quickly, her sword sliced through them both. She could block the metal. The swinging fists of the Beast Within were a different story.

As Red Hawk dashed and dodged, Red X was on the offensive, his kicks and punches flew at Robin, keeping the Titans' leader moving. X swung a back hand chop at Robin's waist. Robin countered, gripping his arm and using it as a lever to throw X to the floor. Red Hawk slipped under Beast Boy, sending her flaming energy into his body, throwing him several stories into the air.

"Beast Boy!" Terra yelled running to his aid. Terra yelped as a frenzy of sonic beams dashed by her as she pulled a stunned Beast Boy from the fray. Red Hawk tumbled right past her, not even noticing her.

Two separate beams flew at her; she tumbled out of the way and fell victim to Raven's talon. The hold kept Hawk still long enough for Cyborg's uppercut. Red Hawk fell to the ground, sliding across the pavement until she skid to a stop at Blood's feet. A sharp kick from Robin delivered X in a similar fashion. Both doppelgangers climbed to their feet swiftly. Blood regarded the scene before him. Six against three wasn't fair… he needed to equalize the battle field.

The sharp mental wave threw Raven backwards. The wave scrambled her concentration, sweeping her into unconsciousness. Her falling body slammed into Robin. As the two dangled helpless in mid-air, a fierce X struck out, binding the two Titans together. Their imbalance pulled them to the floor. Terra gulped as the pair landed only a few feet away from her, bringing her into Red X's line of vision.

"You guys make this way to easy." X prepared to advance when a sharp buzzer erupted from his arm. He flicked his hand over, observing something on his wrist. "Huh… you guys are lucky… looks like I'm needed elsewhere. It's been fun Sunshine." X leapt backwards and vanished into thin air.

"Raven! Raven!" The unconscious girl remained slack against the Boy Wonder. He could feel her skin burning up.

"She'll be fine. I promise you. I don't like to break other people's toys… But now the fight is a bit more even wouldn't you think? Two on two… yes, I like those odds very much."

Blood and Red Hawk advanced. The visual onslaught of the fight captivated both Robin and Terra, the only two not directly involved who were able to see it. The way Cyborg swung his arm, how Celine twisted the Fire Fly to act as a shield, Blood's stunning kicks, Red Hawk's dancing sword: the four of them parried and struck in a pivoting square, moving with each other and against, keeping their eyes on three other fighters at all times.

The two Titans moved together, shifting positions, slipping in attacks to advance the other. Cyborg jabbed Red Hawk in the side, Celine smashed the barrel of the Fire Fly into Blood's skull. The two stunned fighters were thrown back, shuffling to keep their footing. In perfect unison Cyborg unleashed his beam cannon as Celine pulled the Fire Fly to her shoulder. Blood and Red Hawk watched in shock as the blue energy pooled from the barrels. The energy escaped at the same time, Celine's lighter spiral of energy wrapped around Cyborg's, the two beams amplified the magnitude of the attack.

"BOOYAH!" The beam hit dead on. A massive cloud of dust and dirt billowed and fumed, hiding the struck villains from their sights. A sharp clank of metal on metal resounded sharply, echoing from the center of the fog. Celine dropped her weapon to her side and watched Red Hawk fall forward, the speed of her decent cleared away the rest of the dust. Brother Blood had gotten away in time… Red Hawk had not.

Cyborg dropped his arm. He and Celine approached Red Hawk cautiously. Celine kicked the sword away. Cyborg produced a pair of cuffs and locked up the unconscious girl.

"We'll return the armor and weapons to the AGU… what are we going to do with her?"

"What do you mean?" Celine asked.

"She isn't really bad… she was doing what her creator made her… can we punish her for that?" Cyborg asked.

Celine nodded. "Even if she was born from someone else's malfeasance, she was a criminal. She's my clone, but she's her own person. She's like me… and just like I did, she had the capacity to choose… she chose crime."

"Under what name will we jail her?"

"Precis Anderson."⁵

"Hey… looks like Red X forgot something." Beast Boy said. Underneath the fallen Precis Anderson was the black disk. Terra picked it up and brought it over towards the group.

"We can return it to the Embassy…" Cyborg said, "After we find out what's on it."

Raven was roused awake and Celine unleashed the trap X. The sextet delivered Precis Anderson to the Bludhaven Special Forces. The trip back to Jump City was quiet, except for the rev of the R-cycle, compensating for the extra weight of Raven, who rode behind the Boy Wonder. Her body had cooled, but Robin didn't want to take any risks. He wasn't letting her out of his sight.

Celine slid the disk into her minicomputer, analyzing the contents. "Hmm… it looks like it's in an ancient, possibly alien, language. My scanner doesn't recognize it. I wonder what it could be that Slade would want it but not Blood."

"Let's just make sure he doesn't get it." Beast Boy turned his eyes to Terra, she eyed the disk fretfully. Beast Boy's green eyes wavered. _Just saying his name can make her fret like that… what would she have done if Slade came close? _Beast Boy placed a hand over Terra's. The blue eyed girl looked at him in a nervous shock. Beast Boy smiled at her sadly. Terra returned it.

The Embassy was still empty when the Titans returned to it. Celine accessed an AGU trove and stored Red Hawk's armor and weapon into the trove, securing a new password.

"You're going to use that?" Cyborg asked as she keyed in six character password.

"It's appropriate… don't you think?" Cyborg nodded and helped the red haired girl to her feet.⁶

In the backroom where the disk was stored, Terra slammed the empty vault closed, dusting her hands. She pushed a lock of hair from falling into her eye. She yawned silently, making her way to Beast Boy. Beast Boy yawned, trying to blink the sleep out of his eye. The pair returned to the group, meeting the four other titans. Beast Boy rubbed his eye. "Man, I'm tired. What time is it anyway?"

"Just before five A.M."

"They make a five **A.M.** now? I need to go to bed, or I'll sleep through the new Mega Monkeys Ultimate Throwdown Challenge!"

"The what?" Celine asked.

"It's the latest Mega Monkey's animated movie! It came straight from Japan and is airing at noon! I'll need at least eight hours of sleep to be rested enough to appreciate it. That means I'll need to go to bed…" Beast Boy counted backwards on his fingers. "An hour ago!"

The other Titans dropped their heads in aspiration. After a quick spot check they returned to the tower. Terra and Beast Boy went their separate ways. Celine and Cyborg watched Robin guide Raven to her room. The red haired girl gazed up at the taller titan.

"We didn't defeat Blood, but at least we know what we're up against. I think it will be a while before he resurfaces again." Celine stated.

"Now that we know what he wants, we'll just have to be cautious and not let him get it."

"Red Hawk was a failure…" Celine stated.

"That's what Robin said about X."⁷

Celine narrowed her eyes, taking in the deeper meaning of his words. "I think now that I've collected my data on Blood's objectives… and knowing what we know… maybe it would be best if I returned to the AGU… The control system is functional without me. I'm sure you can handle it… besides Bee is probably going stir crazy without someone her age to work with."

Celine turned to walk away, but Cyborg's hand on her wrist stopped her. Her long hair spilled over her shoulder as her eyes took in his.

"I can't beat Blood without you." He said simply.

Celine let her eyes wander to the floor. She nodded, but didn't meet his eyes when she turned and went to bed.

…

Robin held Raven's waist as she leaned back against the door to her bedroom.

"How are you feeling?" Robin asked.

"Like a mile and a half of unpaved road." Raven replied, rubbing at her temple with the heel of her hand. Robin narrowed his eyes. He placed his fingers under her chin, his masked eyes scanning her face.

"That doesn't sound like something you'd say. Are you sure you're okay?" Robin asked.

"I… I don't know. When Blood blasted me, I felt him in my mind. He came in and left something behind…"

"What?"

"No… not a device or anything… I just feel a trace of him and Slade… they are working together. I could feel the seed of Slade's power and something else… something I can't define. I think I just need to mediate to clear it out."

"Maybe you should sleep first." Robin said.

"I think I'd sleep better if I got this feeling out of me."

Robin stepped closer to Raven, his chest pressed against hers. Both their hearts were beating too quickly so early in the morning. He leaned forward, his mouth only a few millimeters from her ear. "Do you want me to stay… just in case it's something out of your control?"

Raven tilted her head, pressing her cheek against his. "I don't know if it will be so severe… but I would like you to stay with me…"

Robin nodded and followed her into her room. Raven mediated in the center of her room while Robin arranged the floor beside Raven's bed for him to sleep. After a few minutes Raven shook her head clear. Robin waited until her orientation cleared and fell asleep. Raven climbed into her bed, giving her boyfriend one last gentle look before she laid herself down to sleep.

…

Washu seethed where he stood. His dark robes floundered behind him; the expulsion of his rage changed the pattern of the wind.

Slade held a hand under his chin as he regarded the swirls of golden energy. His head tilted to the side, his eye shifting from the energy weave to the kneeling Red X and finally back to the energy weave. "Everything is going according to plan." Slade said.

"We have already lost the scroll, the final piece… "

Slade ignored him. Red X stood and dismissed himself at Slade's gesture. "You are severely short sided in your assessments: a rather poor habit, dear boy that you should consider getting rid of. You act in fear and with far too much caution. The best executed plans are those with enough space for flexibility and reevaluation."

"My prophecy--"

"Your prophecy is incomplete." Slade interrupted.

"I know my task. The scroll will only verify my vision." Washu replied. "We must secure the gem. Remember, if my plan fails… so does yours."

"Did you know that tomorrow is my birthday?" Slade said nonchalantly as he watched the gold energy thrive and magnify every second. "I suppose paying her a visit will constitute a gift… should I consider it from me or your master?"

"Do whatever you wish. Just acquire her before she becomes worthless!"

…

In the earliest hours of the morning, without a conscious effort on either of their parts, Raven moved from her bed to the makeshift futon on the floor. Robin's arms wrapped around her automatically, rolling him onto his side. His chin rested smoothly across her shoulder, above their heads Raven's hair fanned out like a dark ocean.

They slept silently, completely unaware of the plot against their love.

End of Chapter Eight

A/N

¹ This whole time Cyborg has been accusing Celine (though not to her face) of seeing him the way Brother Blood sees him. Seeing as Brother Blood causes Cyborg discomfort, getting that same regard from someone close to him must be even more unsettling.

²Go to photobucket to see what I'm talking about. The account is lankree

³No honor amongst thieves apparently.

⁴Get it?

⁵That name has absolutely no relevance to anything in the Titans' Universe. I made it up.

⁶ F-L-A-W-E-D

⁷No he didn't. He said he was a mistake… (make of that what you will)


	26. Remembersees Part One

Remembersees

Part One

A/N: This is the last build up chapter for this story… the next one is the meat and potatoes (but in no ways near the end of the story)

…

The sand trembled and collapsed under her feet. The warm breeze rushed past her, whipping her cloak behind her like a proud banner of war. Her heart was throbbing, her lungs burned and the sting in her throat refused to die. The sun was setting over the ocean, the oranges and purples crashed along her profile and she forced her legs to go as fast as she could go.

Raven didn't dare look back, didn't dare risk a stumble or anything else to slow her down. He was close, very close.

Their foot prints were jagged, the speed was too much for the ground to bear to remember. Raven leaped from the short sanded beach to the soft hill side, her fingers catching cool, moist grass before she pulled herself up and kept running.

She could hear him breathing. It wasn't labored, but it was hard. She could tell from the deep steady in and the rushed, controlled out that the pursuit was pleasurable for him. Raven ducked under tree branches and slide past low shrubs, bring the pursuit to the park.

They were running. He was chasing her. She was sweaty and out of breath… and she loved it.

Raven laughed lightly and danced around the bars of the swing, keeping the equipment between her and her pursuer. She ducked and leapt nimbly out of his grasp until he leapt at her fully, catching her about the waist. The two rolled, they wrestled playfully until he finally found his strength and pinned her gently to the earth.

"Caught you." Robin whispered.

"Caught me." Raven agreed.

"Raven… I want to tell you something."

"I'd say you put us in a perfect position for that." Raven replied, poking Robin in the ribs. She knew he was ticklish, something she had found out by accident, but loved to exploit.

"I'm serious. I want to tell you something… but I want you to guess what it is first." Robin stated, brushing her hand away. He slipped his fingers between her smaller digits, locking their hands over their heads.

"Is it something I'll never guess?"

"You may… I'd prefer it if you knew it and didn't really have to guess…"

"Hmm, how many chances before you tell me?"

"Four."

"Alright… Your secret is… sometimes in the middle of the night, for no particular reason, you slide across your bedroom floor in a button down and a pair of tightie whities." Raven smiled up at Robin, barely able to contain her laughter.

Robin laughed. "Haha, no. Next guess."

"You're secretly allergic to eggplant."

Robin's eyebrow rose in surprise. "Actually, yes."

"You are? I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I'm allergic to almost the entire eggplant family. But we're getting off track. That isn't what I wanted you to know."

"I'm glad. That would have been anticlimactic. So how many guesses do I have left?"

"Two." Robin replied. Robin nuzzled her collar gently. "And make them legitimate guesses."

"Alright… you wanted to tell me that this morning when you said you hadn't peaked on me when I was changing you actually---"

"Raven!" Robin gasped, pulling his face away from her shoulder. He was trying to maintain his shocked expression as a stiff laughter worked its way through his chest.

The morning that Raven spoke of had started out wonderfully. That morning he had woken up with her in his arms. As they lay together, comfortably close together, on the floor with the sun in their eyes, Robin knew it was going to be a day that they would never forget. When he let her slip from his hug so she could shower, Robin watched her. He watched the way she moved, how the sun highlighted the unadulterated beauty in her face. Robin watched her stretch her arms before pulling off her cloak. When she reached to pull off her leotard she remembered her audience and motioned for him to turn away. He smiled and did, bringing up a hand to block any curious gaze. Lying on the floor, his body still warm from hers, Robin decided he was going to tell Raven all his absolutes.

Robin held her hand as they walked together to breakfast. Sakura and Celine were busy at the stove; it seemed they had taken over all the domestic duties for the last few days. The chairs to Titans ratio leaned out of Raven and Robin's favor, leaving them to sit on the couch beside Speedy while they waited for breakfast. Raven decided it was a typical day, because Speedy was sitting and watching Sakura. The two hadn't been speaking as of late, or rather Speedy wasn't speaking to Sakura. No one exactly knew why, it had just become the way he acted around the half-Japanese girl. Though the team had decided that he wasn't mad at her, it was obvious he wasn't speaking to her for a reason.

Starfire yipped with joy when a tall stack of pancakes was delivered in front of her. A similar smile was delivered by Blackfire when her own stack. The Tameranian pair dove in. Sakura blanched when she saw Starfire douse her stack in mustard. She shook her head and slid Aqualad's scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. Beast Boy and Cyborg salivated as they watched the plates slide across the counter, waiting for theirs to arrive. Two plates slid in front of them, one covered in ham and eggs, the other tofu bacon and waffles. The two smiled ridiculously widely then realized a horrible mistake had been made. The tofu was on Cyborg's plate, Beast Boy's was slathered in meat. The water works streamed pitifully. Sakura slinked over, crouched down to just below the level of the counter. The pouting boys didn't see her hands reach up quickly and switch the plates. When things were the way they were supposed to be, smiles returned and they dove in.

From her crouched position, Sakura laughed. Crisis was averted. Her smile sank when she turned her head to the couch where Speedy was sitting. She could tell he was just looking at her, but had averted his eyes on purpose. She frowned deeply. She had been excited to see Speedy again when he returned from his training yesterday. It was almost embarrassing how much she had missed him. Speedy might have been the best friend she ever had: he was funny, he was smart, handsome, kind, generous, handsome, and generally a good person…

And he was mad at her.

Sakura couldn't remember saying anything or doing anything that would cause Speedy to take offense. She could barely remember the last time he had said more than six words to her… I_t was the day of the slumber party_…

Sakura stood up, barely avoiding slamming her head into the counter. Her quick movement tussled Celine, knocking her to the ground, spilling her tray of bagels. Sakura didn't register the genius' shriek. The Titans at the counter peered over it to observe Celine before turning an eye to Sakura. She didn't notice their looks. Her mind was going a mile a minute. _The party… the boys were trying to spy on us… did he hear what I said? Was he trying to keep his distance because he--- _Sakura's eyes wavered; she shifted her gaze telling herself that there was no way she was going to cry. _ I'm not going to let it end like this… at the very least we'll be friends. He can't deny me that_. Sakura turned quickly, a bagel crushed in her grip. _If he tries… he's a jerk!_

Sakura stomped forward to the couch where Speedy was sitting. Speedy was caught completely off guard when a flying bagel crashed into the back of his head. Speedy reeled with the shot before turning around and seeing Sakura staring down at him. He could see fire in her eyes, the fire that he had missed when he was gone… the fire he wanted to stroke but was too afraid to. He didn't think they were capable of hurting each other by trying to become more than friends, but he was terribly afraid that inadvertently someone's heart would be broken beyond mend if things didn't work out. When he stared at Sakura, he could **see** the connection between them: passion like that didn't tend to stand the test of time.

Speedy stood up, stepping as close to Sakura as he dared. Her brown eyes searched his face, looking for something, something he may have been able to give her: in his eyes there was a challenge, there was confusion, desire of some sort and maybe a little hesitance.

The gauntlet was thrown down: he just had to pick his battle.

"You want to fight?" Speedy asked.

"Are we fighting?" Sakura asked.

"No."

"Then yes."¹ Sakura's fist clenched at her side. She prepared to storm out of the room when Speedy grabbed her hand. Sakura looked at Speedy, wishing she could see his eyes. She felt vulnerable under his gaze: it was something she loved and hated… something she wanted more often. Speedy watched her closely, watched her face. He knew that she felt for him at least a fraction of what he did for her… _It is worth the risk isn't it?_ Speedy used his other hand to gently catch her chin. He leaned in slightly and nearly collapsed when she pulled away.

The other Titans watched in horror, this was not what they were expecting. If there were ever two people in the history of the universe who made sense together, it was Speedy and Sakura. It was the way they looked at each other. It was the way Speedy's grin was exceptionally wide when it was for Sakura. It was how there was never harshness in Sakura's voice if Speedy was in the room… The cocky pair, in the earliest moments of their friendship, had been nearly inseparable and when they were apart everyone noticed the lag. Before the rift, they would go out of the way to be in each other's presence: standing close together, training together, fighting over something ridiculous just to hear the other's voice. Why everything was taking so long for the pair was something that escaped the entire tower… almost.

Only Raven, Robin and Speedy were close enough to hear what Sakura whispered. "I won't forgive you if you don't mean it."

"This may be a mistake." Speedy whispered back. Sakura nodded. She might have said something else; he wasn't going to let her. Speedy didn't hesitate; he closed the gap between his lips and hers.² At the counter Beast Boy slid his plate away from in front of him. "And there goes my appetite."

Raven recoiled her barrier. Robin gave her a quick thank you for including him in the shield. When it came to Sakura and Speedy, there was no telling how they were going to act. Raven shook her head._ So much for a typical day… _Robin, by all the rules that governed younger brothers, turned his head away as quickly as possible. That annoying little part of him that was a brother first rather than a friend wanted to stop the two, because no brother should see his sister making out… ever. But he didn't listen to it. Instead he let his mind focus on something infinitely more pleasing. Raven sat beside him, smiling at Sakura and Speedy as one lead the other from the common room. Robin took in her profile, it amazed him how everyday he could see her in a new light, in a different moment, and always think the same thing: _tag…_ _you're it. _

Raven didn't enjoy the moon nearly as much as she did the sun. That was usually why Robin waited until the beginnings of sunset to dare her to games of tag. It sometimes had something to do with the way she looked against the fading sun. How the shadows hooked across the smooth slope of her mouth, how the colors made her eyes explode in waves of purple. Lying in the grass with her in the shadow of the setting sun was the perfect setting for all his truths to be known.

Raven rolled Robin to his back, placing her on of top his body. Her long hair fell over her shoulders. The tips spread against his arm. The trees didn't rustle. The insects were quiet. The wind was nearly nonexistent. It was like the world had stopped for Raven's last guess.

"I suppose there's only one thing left that it could be. And how lucky I am: that I have just one guess left."

_She knows…_

"What you wanted to tell me was that you're totally, infinitely, desperately in--"

Raven saw Robin's eyes widen, a horrified look on his face. Before she could evaluate the consequences of her mistaken thoughts, Robin pushed her off his body. She rolled sharply to the side, turning just in time to see Robin rolling in the opposite direction. Between them, a heel slammed into the earth with a sickening thud. Raven's eyes widened, she traced the long black boot up a long leg, across a powerful chest and arms stopping at a mask that demanded her fear and attention.

"Slade." Robin rebounded quickly, moving swiftly making sure that Slade's eye fixed on him, hoping Raven would take the opportunity to hide without his suggestion. Slade remained perfectly still between the separated couple. After a moment, Raven pulled herself to her feet, stepping backwards cautiously, her fingers expelled her demonic birthright, prepared to attack or defend.

Slade regarded the pair with his unveiled eye. The tilt of his head told them he was smiling. It told them they were in trouble.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important… Raven… Robin…" Slade stroked his chin coolly. "I suppose the old saying is correct… birds of a feather **do** flock together."

Raven crept back evenly; she knew that Slade was watching her even if that eye was focused on the Boy Wonder. She knew that Robin wanted her to run, to leave him to fight Slade alone. Raven knew better. As long as Slade was around, there was no place that was safe and no place she braved to hide. If Robin was going to take on Slade, she was going to be right there with him.

"Slade, whatever you're planning, you're going to fail. I won't let you hurt Raven."

"That's touching Robin. But then you always were the protective type… I consider it your greatest weakness."

"I don't care what you consider it! I'm not going to let you go any further with your plans!"

Slade stepped closer to Raven by exactly one step. He turned his head back and looked at Robin. "If I had wanted to, I could have attacked her in that one move… and you didn't try to stop me… Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe carelessness is your biggest weakness."

Raven thrust her claw forward, catching Slade and pushing him back into a tree. "Stop it! You don't know anything about him Slade! You never did!"

Slade freed himself from her power nonchalantly. He dusted his shoulder off, stepping closer to her again. Robin ran in front of her, keeping himself between Slade and his goal.

"I suppose if I were a more feeling person, your little display of dedication would be touching… But I'm ruthless." Slade chuckled briefly. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Robin drew his bo-staff and attacked Slade head on. Slade volleyed and parried, matching Robin blow for blow easily. His single eye wasn't focused, Raven could see from her position that he was watching them both with one eye. Robin drilled at Slade, always keeping his body between Raven and Slade's intent. Several shots knocked dead on, but like the other times they'd fought since his return, Slade's body didn't react. After a combination of strikes was executed, Slade stood up perfectly still. His head cocked to the side, taking in Robin's frustrated glare.

"Did you really think that was all it was going to take? My dear boy, I'm not sure there's enough time left in the world to teach you the skills that would finally make you a threat to me." Slade sprung forward.

The tragedy of the situation became apparent as Raven's focus was forced to shift from Robin's fight with Slade to the imposing flare warriors inching closer and closer into the fray. They were meters away, but Raven knew they were able to close that distance in the blink of an eye. In the fading daylight, Raven expanded an energy blast into the air, hoping someone was spying on their date and were close enough to be of help.

Robin gritted his teeth as Slade went on the offensive. While his younger body was infinitely more agile, the sheer power of Slade's presence could topple him. Here he was, fighting Slade to protect Raven, to protect the girl who meant so much to him… and he was losing…

A series of well executed punches to the stomach and chest flung Robin into the wooded area.

"Robin!" Raven made a run to the wounded boy, but was interrupted by Slade's imposing figure. Her eyes widened in shock as his power escaped and slammed into her smaller form.

"I did come here for a reason." Slade said as he stalked to the fallen Raven. She struggled to her feet, preparing her mind, forcing it to concentrate as his shadow loomed over her. "I have something to tell you."

"I'm not interested in your message!" Raven pulled the swing set from the ground, the black clad equipment slammed into to Slade, giving Raven enough space to flee into the woods. She found Robin shaking himself awake. She crouched beside him, glad that the sun was finally finishing its descent, taking with it the light that Slade would use to find them.

Slade stepped to the edge of the wooded area, regarding the scenery for just a moment before drawing out his control of fire. His army appeared in line behind him, marching with the fire of war. A single thrust of his hand ignited the wood into flames, the red and orange clashed against the final death markers of day. Oranges struck against oranges: green and browns were conquered as the fire took over inch by inch.

"Did you know that today is my birthday? I couldn't think of a better present…"

Raven tried not to listen as the flames licked near her body. She held Robin close, erecting a shield to keep out the smoke. The flame fighters steadily poured into the woods, ruining any hope they had of staying still. Robin pulled himself to his knees. The shaded-black shield darkened his vision, but didn't make it any less clear that Slade's army was coming in to take them out.

"Raven, run."

"No. This is my fight too." Raven replied. Her eyes shifted from his body to the path of destruction leading directly to them.

Slade watched his army continue to burn the forest down. It was rather uninteresting to see someone else's fire burn through the thicket, but he did have to appreciate the desperation of the circumstances… and he had to exploit it. _That would bring beauty to this fight._

Raven grimaced as a pair of flame demons hammered at her shield. The smoke was thick and powerful, if she dropped her barrier they would choke. If she kept it up… she wasn't really sure how long that would be an option.

Robin readied exploding disks. The three slipped between his fingers coolly with all the ease of years and years of practice. He knew what Raven was going to do; they couldn't stay on the defensive forever. The pair stood side by side, bodies turned to launch their attack. As their limbs extended to their entire length, a sharp whorl, the sound of the wind being split, rushed towards them. The energy barrage slipped perfectly over Slade's shoulder, the man didn't flinch a bit, his eye watched it with disinterest. The arrow struck a flaming tree. On impact an ice formation spread from flame to flame, covering the fire from the trees to some of the flame demons within the web of the ice's path. Half the forest charred blue and became perfectly still.

Slade did jump when another furious weapon met his path. He back flipped effortlessly as the hiraikotsu drove through the air like a war hammer. Its path continued, slicing through the frozen trees and flame demons. Raven and Robin watched the beast of a weapon cut through the enemies in the way. The slight distraction allowed Raven to drop her guard. The pair took the offensive, Robin exploding forward with a barrage of disks. Raven's power crumbled bodies left and right as the pair ran for the outskirt of the woods.

Just before the break, the flame demons collapsed together, a dense mass blocking their path. Robin slammed together two bird-a-rangs bringing his sword to glimmer with the light of his enemies' fire. Raven stood beside him, her hand extended to exercise her fury. The two stood shocked together when a rumble of earth upheaved, smashing a path clear for them. From their right Terra ran towards them.

"Terra! What are you doing here?"

The blonde haired girl stopped inches away from them panting from the smoke. "There was an attack on the tower. We saw your distress signal…"

"Terra! You've got to get out of here!" Raven yelled.

"What? Why? I can help."

"Slade's here!"

Terra's eyes widened. In that moment she turned her head to the path she created and at the very end stood Slade. Slade turned his head to the side, taking in the sight of her.

"And here I thought it couldn't get any better." Slade stepped forward. "Hello Terra. It's good to see you again."

Terra's body locked rigidly, trying to step backwards but found she could only move one leg. Her terror was etched into her face; it scared Raven. Her stun left her perfectly vulnerable to Slade's flame shots. Raven tackled the girl, knocking them both to the ground. The fire balls swarmed over their heads bringing more flames and smoke. Raven stood quickly, grabbing Terra's hand and running in an arcing path to escape the wood. Robin ran out in a straight path to Slade.

Raven and Terra stumbled out of the woods in time to see Robin swing at Slade. Sakura and Speedy took down the flame soldiers as quickly as they could; the arrows and boomerang flew through the air, striking down everything in their paths. Raven pulled Terra from her knees.

"Terra! Run!"

Terra didn't register Raven's voice. When Raven forced her to stand she complied mechanically. Raven's voice wasn't getting through… all there was to see and hear was Slade.

When the army dwindled to just a dozen, Sakura left Speedy to finish them off. Watching her brother's movements for a moment presented her with an opening. She leapt into the air, her arm dropped back and with a flip of her wrist, Sakura hurled her weapon. The boomerang stormed forward, aimed to catch Slade in the back, but at the last moment Slade tumbled backwards clearing himself from its fury. Robin slid under its path effortlessly, allowing the weapon to take its return path uninterrupted. He dove back at Slade, reaching him just after he shot a fire ball. The flaming sphere headed straight for Sakura, but it was knocked away by her returned weapon. Sakura recovered from the heat and dove forward again, swinging her boomerang like a club. Slade danced between the twin assault of the siblings. They were good.

Slade was better.

Slade slipped under a swing and delivered a powerful backhand, knocking Sakura back, the blow taking the hiraikotsu from her hands. Robin stepped in and delivered a fierce kick to Slade's side. He followed it with a downward cut. Slade grabbed the handle of Robin's sword, stopping the attack. He used his hold and pivoted the Boy Wonder, throwing him into the advancing Sakura. The two rolled into the ground, their weapons out of range.

Slade turned his attention to the two girls to his right, the predatory glare fixed and menacing. The barrage of arrows didn't interrupt his path. Speedy unleashed a frenzy but each one rebounded from Slade's power. A demon stepped into Speedy's path and took him head on.

Raven watched Slade step closer to Terra. "Terra! Run!" Again the girl didn't move. "Run!" She didn't even blink. "RUN!" Raven wrapped her dark energy around Terra and pushed the frozen girl a few feet behind her. Terra staggered to her feet, clutching the tree behind her.

Slade marched forward and Raven marched backwards. Slade observed her for a moment, before throwing a fireball into her path. The sphere struck Raven in the chest, knocking her into the smoldering woods. Robin and Sakura gave each other the briefest of looks before running forward in an assault. Robin came in on Slade's left, Sakura from his right. The siblings attacked in nearly perfect syncopation, Robin's moves were more fluid and faster, Sakura's sharper and stronger. Their moves executed swiftly, uppercuts, back kicks, spinning elbows and brutal chops beat into Slade and were knocked away. Slade engaged the pair, matching the attacks from both fighters.

Arrows danced in, adding to the danger of the situation. Terra watched. She should have moved, but she didn't. She waited for what she knew was coming. Robin shifted his weight back and delivered a spin kick. His masked eyes widened when Slade parried, knocking the Boy Wonder off balance before punching him in the face. Sakura sprung from beneath him, a razor's edge interrupted by an elbow slamming down onto her collar bone. The blow stunned her, dropping her body to one knee. It left her open for the sharp kick to her face. Robin slid to the ground and a few seconds later, Sakura slid in beside him. Behind them Speedy was overpowered, the short haired archer fell to the ground. They were left to watch as Slade finally reached Terra.

The blonde girl looked up. Slade's imposing shadow covered half of Terra's face. She could have run away, she could have ducked or attacked but she didn't. Terra watched with eyes stretched wide. Slade reached down with one hand, grabbing the fabric of her shirt, pulling the fragile blonde from the floor³. Her hands dangled limply, her eyes meeting his. His eye took in the sight of her… he didn't say a single word.

Robin was the first to pull himself to his feet. "Get away from her!" Above the forest, the voice resounded as a deep black energy, the body of a raven; spread its wings against the night. Speedy and Sakura staggered to their feet and stared behind Robin. Raven's energy flickered in a rage barely contained. Even from their distance, even in the darkness of the night sky, Robin could see them. Four terrifying eyes… a body of red markers. _Raven… don't…_

Raven's speed would have been the death of any other man. But Slade wasn't any other man. The rest of his body barely moved when he threw Terra away like a rag doll, the small blond slammed into Sakura, laying them both out. In the moment that Slade turned around, Raven flew in closer, one claw extended before her. From the wings of the massive bird, black jagged spheres of energy erupted, slamming into the earth. They fell like meteorites, scourging the earth, taking out one fire to light the earth with another. Flare demons split and crumbled, the ground welted with the force. Slade stood perfectly still. Raven tucked the power back within her. She turned her body and dove head first, that fierce claw extended to inflict the full extent of her power.

Her assault ended when Slade presented a claw of his own. Raven's eyes regained their vulnerability as Slade's grip tightened around her neck. Her legs kicked pathetically. Raven's fingers raked against the muscle that held her still.

"You're almost making this too easy. If I were to disappear right now… your friends would never see you again… they'd never see anything again." Slade's single eye bore into her as if he were looking at something priceless and worthless at the same time. He said nothing as he threw her away. Raven slammed into a tree, the force of the blow stealing her consciousness. Slade turned and looked at Robin.

"You should have stayed at my side Robin. You don't seem to be very good at playing the good guy. I'm not going to take her today… just a warning… I suggest you sleep with one eye open from now on."

Robin ran forward, his fist drawn to strike Slade down. Slade turned his shoulder to avoid the punch. Robin fell forward, his balance lost in his rage. Slade stepped aside giving the scene one last look before he and his army faded into the night.

Robin's fingers clenched as his jaw stretched against his sneer. The ground had become cold as the night had expanded, his fingers felt numb. His heart was pounding, his eyes burned and for the life of him he wanted to scream.

Speedy pulled Sakura to her feet. The two watched Terra pull herself up, dusting her fingers across her bunched up shirt. The fabric held the impression of Slade's grasp. Terra left her hand pressed against that place firmly. Her heart beat was calm. Without a word, Terra rose a chunk of the earth beneath her feet and guided herself back to the tower.

Raven's eyes opened, allowing her to see Terra take off without a trace of emotion in her face. Raven's purple eyes wavered. A sharp pain crashed in her head. She felt it again, that terrible pain from Brother Blood's attack last night. She thought she had cleared it all away, but with Slade so close, that strange feeling splintered her psyche. She needed to meditate… they all needed to prepare.

The next few days at the tower passed, holding in the air a constant state of unease. The group was fractured. Raven threw herself into cleansing her mind. Robin spent nearly every moment he could in the training room, forcing his body to get stronger, to be better… to not be weak before Slade.

The sweat poured down his face as he began another series of stances and moves. His breathing was hard, his muscles ached and his heart could not be satisfied. He hadn't seen Raven in two days. No one had. The same went for Terra, but that concerned him less than what was happening with Raven. The red marks of Scath had returned to her body when Slade attacked. She had said that she wouldn't be Trigon's gate… the marks said otherwise. In the moment where Slade presented the quest, the unblockable destiny that they all stood against, Raven had crumbled: she couldn't land a single blow with the power of her fate blinding her. Robin didn't want to believe that Raven had been too confident in her powers when she made her claims… No one was looking forward to the end of the world…

Robin's foot shot out in a nearly perfect spin kick. The vengeance behind the strike tore the punching bag from its chain, spilling sand onto the ground. His mask protected him from the upkick of dust but the tiny particles crashed against his sweat and made the liquid even more uncomfortable. His body told him to quit. His will told him to press forward. His soul told him to see Raven.

As afraid as Robin allowed himself to admit he was about the situation, he knew it was no competition to the ache and burn Raven had to be feeling. When he had watched her, spreading every ounce of her power through the sky, he knew she was attacking with everything she had. It hadn't been enough.

Robin went to his bedroom, showered and sat on his bed, shaking the last of the water from his head. The last time he had thought to talk to Raven she had stopped him before he had even knocked on the door. It was her voice, not through his mind, but through his ears that told him to **go away**. He had tried to force her to let him in, but Raven wouldn't budge and would say nothing more to him than those two words. He couldn't get back into her mind, he couldn't make her feel his worry… he couldn't feel hers…

They were falling apart.

End of Part One

¹ For Speedy and Sakura, being near each other in competition is "normal" it's how they enjoy each others company. Sakura wants to fight so she could feel some sort of normalcy.

²I know that this seems a little rushed as far as relationship development goes, but I needed to get it out there before the next chapter. While this relationship is fun and I have fun with it, it really isn't a central pairing (I don't want to take anymore of the story away from R&R with this pairing)

³Think Aftershock part two


	27. Remembersees Part Two

Remembersees

Part Two

KnowledgE was lying to her. Raven could tell the sophisticated character knew exactly where HOPE was and was hiding it from her. Raven wanted to find the small girl, to try to find some peace in the muddle of her eternal unrest. KnowledgE followed Raven's movements, knowing with her infinite resource of wisdom, that Raven would never be able to find HOPE on her own… not in a million years.¹

Raven looked back and forth between the two roads. KnowledgE had taken her place in between them; her spot at the fork in the road had been born when Raven allowed HOPE to be borne. KnowledgE was the only part of her fragile mind that could lead her down the road where she'd find the fragile character, but at the moment she couldn't tell Raven. KnowledgE needed Raven to listen to her.

For days the Dark Bird had fretted pitifully in and outside of her mind. There was a hunger in her, seeping through her psyche like a mad torrent. For all her control in the situation, Raven couldn't think of a more fitting metaphor. She was drowning and, for just a moment, she desired reprieve.

When she was a small child Azar had stared down into her and seen that fractured thing that was her mind. Azar allowed her to grow and prosper because he believed that the delicate state of her mind would prevent Raven from ever becoming a threat to the real world… that was before her mind's fragments had manifested themselves into new identities, taking on will and passion and hate. The more they built themselves from the dismal glimpses of her future, the more dangerous she became.

But if she could make them into one continuous being… she could stop everything…

She wanted to start with HOPE.

At the moment KnowledgE was the part of herself that she was closest too, the part she held in the highest of esteem. Not shortly behind was BravE, the only part of her that she ever referred to by name rather than title². BravE and KnowledgE were tied closely to each other but the bond had been separating, mostly as a result of the last few days: when her playhouse had been torn down.

In her darkest hours, DesirE was quieted, HappinesS was in recess and a tie was forming between TimiD and DespaiR. Most of her emotions were silenced, but those in her arsenal were acting contrary to how she wanted to. Slade and Trigon were infused in her: their desires were imposing on her mind and turning things against her. BravE was wounded, DespaiR was ever present, TimiD was a master in her mind…

And KnowledgE was lying to her. To the best of her ability, KnowledgE looked both distraught and angry. Raven had seen temper before in KnowledgE and she had seen confusion, but this was different. It might have been hesitance, something that Raven never thought she'd associate with the strongest part of her mind: but even at that moment, she was unclear to **why**.

"I'll listen to everything you have to say after you show me to HOPE." Raven finally said.

KnowledgE shook her head in the negative. "You need to hear what I have to say before you can see anything… you haven't been able to see many things for a long time… that may mostly be my fault."

Raven took a seat at KnowledgE's feet. She could tell from her tone that she was hiding HOPE because she wanted Raven to listen to her.

"Is this about the attack from Blood?" Raven asked.

KnowledgE nodded. "I'm still gathering data about what it has done to us… to you… but from what I know so far…"

"What is it?"

"The distress you've felt… it's due to Slade's influence. He's inside of you, inside your home, inside all the things that you want to protect. His plans are evolving to things that I do not yet understand… but they will be terrible because of what he'll use to do them."

Raven stood up immediately. She was going to yell at her to stop, that she couldn't say what she was going to say next. KnowledgE removed her glasses and stared her down, silencing the protest within her. "Stop looking for HOPE and look forward into the despair right in front on you"

"What do you mean?"

"In honesty… I do not know yet. I suggest you adopt some reserve from here forward. The ties and binds that hold you to those around you could be your undoing."

"Do you know what he plans to do?"

"No… there wasn't enough for me to know what… but we already know the prophecy--"

"I can fight the prophecy! I know I can! Before, I had nothing to fight for… now I do."

KnowledgE raised her hand to silence the girl. Raven stepped back slightly. She knew what KnowledgE would say next and she would take it to be the truth if not for the pain in her heart. "She has left a tiny wound in you… one that you refuse to see… as she grows stronger… you grow blinder."

Raven turned her head to the side. "I don't see because I do not wish to see."

KnowledgE turned her head, following the tear that ran down Raven's cheek. If she had been kinder, if she was capable of being kinder, KnowledgE would have been gentler with her words. The truth almost always hurt and when it didn't, it was someone else's truth and not for Raven to keep.

"Your change, your freedom of heart and trust has left this weakness in your power… I can only advise you to be careful."

Raven gasped. "I won't give him up." Raven said, pulling her hood over her head.

"I'm not telling you to." KnowledgE replied.

"Then what would you have me do?"

"Be very careful." KnowledgE replied. Her slim arm extended down the western fork. Raven's eyes shifted back and forth between the two paths. KnowledgE didn't have the capacity to trick her, but she wanted to think that HOPE lied down the eastern fork. Behind her BravE approached. The green garbed character walked cautiously to take her place to Raven's left. The character didn't turn her eyes to Raven before extending her left hand forward. Raven looked down the western trail and followed it. She had no reason not to trust BravE and KnowledgE… she had relied on them more heavily than any other side of herself… She wished the day would come when those energies vanished within her to become a side of her mind that was indelible. It was her greatest worry that one day BravE and KnowledgE would be thieved away from her… because that would be the day she disappeared from the world.

Raven walked steadily away unable to face the determined faces of BravE and KnowledgE. The green-garbed identity turned to her yellow clad companion. "Did you tell her everything?"

KnowledgE nodded. "There was not enough information to be held back. What will become of her, what others desire for her to be has shaped her life since she laid in her mother's care. It is something that will continue long after we fade into nothing."

"That day will come. I am sure of it. She will be free of this… if we are strong enough for her." BravE declared.

KnowledgE watched the last bit of Raven fade into the white of her mind. "I know."

The grey didn't seem to disperse as gently as Raven remembered. What should have been pure white was splattered with grey marks, small like a child's tear drops. Like her tear drops: fragile as the beat of her heart… how could she allow herself to listen to KnowledgE and come to fear the future again? Could she dare not listen?

Finding HOPE took a very long time. The rock hollows were generally empty and down each wrong fork her desperate manifestations³ told her to "turn back". Tall columns had toppled, under each fallen tower laid a shadowed hovel for a small body to hide. Raven looked under every one. She found HOPE fretting silently under a fallen column; the small gap was just wide enough for the little girl to wedge into. Her cape seemed to lack the shimmer that Raven had grown accustomed to. Her hands felt weaker when she touched them.

"HOPE… please come out."

The small girl pulled her knees to her chest. When the slight girl turned her head, Raven realized her hood was up. It was the first time she had ever seen her that way. Raven's braid fell over her shoulder, the delicate strands that hung around her face were like a halo: it was the way HOPE had begun to wear hers, but from the spill and bump beneath that dulled gold cloak, she could tell that HOPE's hair was free.

Raven tugged on the cloak, startling the smaller girl. HOPE didn't move to help or resist. Raven's fingers slipped across HOPE's forehead and down around her cheek, pushing a tiny trail of hair behind her ear. It surprised Raven when the tiny girl turned her head away from her and began speaking in the language of her home world.

"Lethe Gost Paran Sic Verbis Nex." (I fear that you will wait forever for me.)

"HOPE… please don't..."

HOPE finally turned to face Raven, her small face tracked in tears. "One day KnowledgE will finally understand… but for now you must run."

"What?"

"RUN!" HOPE yelled.

The demand echoed past Raven, splitting her ears painfully. It was the sudden pain that turned her body and allowed the thrusting fist to miss her head and crash into the wall. Raven's eyes widened as the column splintered under the blow. She turned her head, following the red-cloaked arm until she encountered the four demon eyes of RAGE.

Raven rolled over her shoulder, putting distance between herself and RAGE, hoping to draw the four eyed character away from the fragile HOPE. RAGE's red eyes turned to her, following every inhale and exhale. Raven pushed her braid behind her shoulder, it wouldn't stop RAGE from going for it, but it would take her longer. Raven steadied her hands. RAGE would come at her with her fists and teeth and words before she used the throw of her share of demonic power.

RAGE's arm lashed out, her hand in a straight line delivering a chop that skimmed across the air only millimeters away from Raven's chest. Raven leapt to the side, sending her foot into RAGE's side. Raven and her manifestation of destiny volleyed and parried, grabbing each others arms and pushing with all their might. RAGE's eyes were unblinking: her nails sunk deep into Raven's sleeves. Raven's feet skid across the ground, the friction throwing up dust around her ankles.

"Go back to your hiding place! I won't let you beat me again!" Raven sneered.

"I will not hide! I will control all of you! I will break KnowledgE and BravE, TimiD… I will bend HappinesS to dementia and I will crush HOPE!" RAGE's face tightened sharply. Her battle cry crashed inside Raven's ears. RAGE pushed her advantage, forcing Raven off balance. Raven fell backwards, the fabric of her sleeves pulled off revealing the red marks of Scath.

The gashes in her arms were no match for the color of the markers. Raven grabbed the wounds on her shoulders. The red marks shinned through the gaps between her fingers. Raven turned to look up at RAGE. RAGE was covered in them as well. RAGE raised an arm for her own inspection. The glow seemed to satisfy her. RAGE thrust her arm towards Raven. "Let waste and destruction be born from me. Let HOPE be undone… Let shadow encompass the world."

The torrent of energy began at RAGE's chest, swirling along her form. Dark spirals lapped around her like snakes or ribbons of great might. The spirals took form, balling at her palm. A short battle roar sent the energy to Raven. Raven's eyes widened. She didn't move a muscle.

Anger erupted within RAGE as she watched Raven's eyes become feral. The energy blast was soaked deep into Raven's body but did no damage. It made her stronger. Raven stood, her white cape flapping behind her in a wind that could not be accounted for. Her braid shook loose; her purple locks tumbled like the material of her cloak.

"You haven't the power to destroy me RAGE… nor can you destroy HOPE. As long as you are a true element of my being… I can not crush you… but I will conquer you."

RAGE attacked with a pivoting kick aimed for Raven's side. RAGE's eyes widened when the attack failed. Raven caught the character's ankle between her left hand and the crook of her right elbow, pinning the limb under her arm. It was a sharp turn that gave Raven the momentum to throw RAGE away, the character slamming into a collective of fallen and crumbled column bodies.

RAGE emerged, towering in height to the magnitude rivaling her father's form. RAGE roared, black power surging from her mouth, eyes and finger tips. Column bodies fell from her massive shoulders, stone and vines tangled along her ankles. Raven raised a barrier to stop RAGE's energy blasts. Her arms crossed in her feminine -X-, Raven let her soul bodies escape, two massive warriors erupted from her spirit, taking flight to the right and left of RAGE. The three floated in the air in a dynamic triangle. In perfect syncopation, the three folded their bodies, giving them the form of crossed mediation.⁴ Their fingers twisted and flexed in harmony and though only the true Raven spoke, the two soul bodies' mouths echoed the spell.

"Aldruon Enlenthra Nalthos Sola Narisnor!" ⁵

A great power swarmed from the triangle apexes, a waving translucent energy flowed in green, yellow and blue⁶ expanded above and below their bodies until the height encircled all of RAGE's massive form. The energy stormed and solidified, trapping RAGE within it. Beneath them, columns rose and stacked, erecting a prison. One last roar escaped from RAGE as the final stones laid her in the cursed shrine.

Raven uncoiled her form and allowed her soul bodies to return to her. Each one sent an echo of power through the area that circled Raven. The waves died and Raven floated back to the ground. She stared at the massive tomb of RAGE. That wind returned, throwing her hair into her eyes, pulling her cloak to the west. Raven extended a hand to the temple and felt a tremor that was RAGE's presence.

"Stay there for me… trapped in memory."

Raven pulled her hood over her head. It was at that moment she realized that HOPE had fled. She thought to look for her, but instead escaped Nevermore. She had hidden in her room for days, trying to hide from the consequences of her fragile state. She went to find the parts of her that made HOPE powerful within her: her friends…

Her Robin.

The world inside the tower, like the world inside her mind, was in unrest. There wasn't a presence in the universe that could unbalance the Titans like Slade could. The tower was silent; Raven's light steps were thunderous across the halls. Celine and Cyborg were working in silence together, making upgrades to the Titans' computer. They passed tools and units between each other in total silence, looks were enough to communicate most things, pointing got everything else. For people so naturally animated, it looked like they were afraid to break the silence.

Beast Boy and Aqualad were missing. Period. There wasn't even a hint of the two anywhere that Raven went. Even when she passed both of their rooms, not a single labored breath told her they were moving in any fashion. Blackfire and Star sat in total silence. Starfire's head was in a book, the same one she'd been reading for weeks, months really, and Blackfire sat with her hands in her lap, waiting for Starfire to say something.

Raven ended up in a place she didn't know that she was looking for. It was a place she really had no intention to go. Her room was quiet like all the others. The door was shut and the light was off. It occurred to Raven for the first time that it was night outside.

Raven stopped outside of Terra's door. The conflict within her left her at a loss at what to do. Raven could only be so good of a person. She didn't **do** affectionate or caring very often: save for the extreme cases where one of her friends was hurt or if Robin's spirit was in a delicate state. Her kindness had only once been extended to the blonde girl: Raven was unsure if she could bring herself to care about what Slade's appearance had done to Terra.

When the moment had come, when Terra and Slade stood face to face, Raven wanted to protect Terra; but she knew in her heart that she really wanted to protect herself. Terra standing before Slade reminded Raven of her weakest moment: a stage in her life where she was more vulnerable than she could recall in recent memory. She had faced hate, dislike, disregard and ill will but she had never faced deception so thorough. Terra represented that tiny fraction of herself that was unconditionally weak.

Her mind warned her sharply against thinking about the blonde anymore, if only to prevent the spark of Blood's mindtap. Raven had managed to separate the terror of Slade from the hurt from Terra… When Raven saw Terra's face, half of the time she felt the pain of memory. The other half of the time she saw that pain as well, but she also saw that Terra was a girl: a frightened, stupid, powerful girl. A girl just like herself with one exception: Raven wasn't stupid, she was guilty.

Guilty for not listening to KnowledgE when the character had told her to turn away. Raven was guilty of disobedience, of betrayal of KnowledgE's trust: she wasn't so unlike Terra except that the only person Raven was capable of hurting was Raven.

The door wouldn't open when Raven pressed the keypad. Raven didn't knock, didn't make any other attempt to go inside. She pressed her forehead against the wall and thought. What did she think she would find in Terra's room? Some pretty magazines, left over food, mountains of trash and some scuffed up journal? It didn't matter. Raven told herself that she couldn't exhaust herself to think about Terra, just like Terra didn't seem to need Raven's acceptance or approval. Terra trained in solitude while Raven and Sakura faded more and more in their routine. That reminded Raven that she needed to talk to the older girl about restarting a more diligent routine. She couldn't forget the tiny life within her mind that needed to become stronger…

That became stronger when Raven recognized the hand against her shoulder. Raven turned around and found Robin's gaze on her face. The worry was obvious before his lips even turned to form her name. Raven stared at the Boy Wonder taking in the sight of him like a drowning person would air. _Am I drowning Robin? Are we…_

"Are you okay?" Robin asked finally.

"I don't know about okay… but I feel better."

"You never told me what was wrong." Robin said.

"Until now I didn't know." Raven took Robin's hand inside of hers. She raised them to her chest, the side of his gloved hand felt the heat and rhythm of her heartbeat through her skin. "I think I'm afraid, that I'm not as strong as I think I am."

Robin's fingers trembled in Raven's hands, the strong digits pivoting gently against the muscle of Raven's palms. He looked at her, stepping closer until the only thing between their two heartbeats were their hands.

"It's a fear we all have." Robin said.

"But no one else's weakness will be the end of the world." Raven whispered.

"We all feel that way sometimes…"

Raven might have protested if not for Robin's knowing look. Her lips met his for the first time in three days. Touching his skin felt so beautiful, pulling away felt so terrible.

"Could you still stand by me when I do terrible things?" Raven asked weakly.

Robin shook his head in the negative. Raven turned her head away. She felt Robin take his hand away and for a moment she thought she would sink into nothingness at the loss. But Robin's warmth returned, powerful arms wrapping around her smaller body. His head fell gently into the curve of her shoulder.

"It's okay to feel overwhelmed when your situation is so terrible… but I haven't a doubt in my mind that you'll ever do what Trigon and Slade want from you. The Titans will get stronger to protect you, you'll get stronger to defend us… and **we'll** get our happy ending Raven… I promise."

Raven cried silently against Robin. Robin ran his fingers through her hair and let her feel everything she needed to. Their heartbeats raced and slowed down together. Their bodies sunk to the ground, Robin sat Raven on his lap as the girl laid her head into his neck.

"I… I locked away RAGE in my mind… I don't know how long it will last… but I think I made a mistake. I feel so disoriented. I'm crying, my thoughts are heavy in despair and I'm not sure what's a part of me and what's been pushed around by my imbalance."

"I wish I knew a way to take away all the pain Raven… but we both know that trying to untie all that you are will be slow and difficult. If I stay beside you… could that help?"

_With you beside me…One day this will all make perfect sense. _Raven thought as she stood up from Robin's hold. She offered her hand to Robin and a warm feeling raced through her when he took it. They stood in front of each other silently before Robin squeezed her fingers.

"Perfect sense is overrated. I'll take all the jumbled mess between you and I… as long as it's between you and me…"

"You're beautiful." Raven whispered.

Robin smiled at her. We _seem to have that effect on each other._

…

The return to normalcy, as much as could be restored and considered normal for eleven crime fighters living in a giant T, would come in a battle. The Jump Duplex was attacked drawing the Titans to the theater. There they fought off the advances of Control Freak and his new remote. When the overly techno-advanced couch potato was carted off, they realized they were standing in a line in the front row of the theater. The next movie was beginning and they had absolutely nothing else to do.

"Well guys, we beat Control Freak and there's a free showing tonight. We could all unwind a little. Why not take in the show?" Beast Boy suggested. Each of the Titans looked about them and could find no argument against his suggestion. In perfect unison they turned toward the screen and sat down. A few seconds later they realized that they weren't sitting next to who they wanted to and the boys played a game of musical chairs to get to their girls. Speedy and Robin, in their infinite comfort and cool, placed their arms around their dates as they waited for the movie to start. It occurred to Aqualad that he should try the same maneuver but the image of him accidentally elbowing the pretty Tameranian quieted that notion.

"So what's playing?" Cyborg asked.

"Freaky Freddy Six: Revenge of the Brain Munchers." Beast Boy replied.

"BEAST BOY!"

Beast Boy laughed nervously. "Did I forget to mention its Wednesday night horror show?"

Raven considered leaping over Starfire, Celine and Cyborg to throttle the green morpher but the lights dimmed and the movie started. The movie progressed and became increasingly more frightening until at least half of the Titans, including Beast Boy, were beside themselves in terror. A sudden shot of a monster attack ignited a simultaneous reaction. All at once Raven, Blackfire and Sakura turned their heads away and into the shoulder of the Titan to their right: into Robin, Aqualad and Speedy. Aqualad stiffened at the sudden movement, feeling Blackfire clutch his sleeve. Her eyes were squinted tight. Aqualad swallowed hard and for a moment was able to forget his awkwardness. Blackfire needed him, even if for just a silly reason like a B-horror movie. It was still need; it was something he could answer to.

Aqualad gently and cautiously moved his arm around her slim body, his fingers making contact with her shoulder. Blackfire's eyes opened, first the left then the right. The blush on her face fit her shy gaze. She worried her lip slightly. Aqualad looked down at the black haired girl and smiled gently. In the background another scream erupted. Blackfire shut her eyes again. Aqualad rubbed her shoulder gently; a heat ran up his face when Blackfire laid her head down on his shoulder. Her head turned back to the screen, initial freight forgotten. Aqualad couldn't help but notice that even though her head was turned back to the screen, it was still safe on his shoulder. If he looked closely he could see that she could see him too. He leaned his head towards her, until his cheek met the top of her head. It wasn't a declaration of undying affection, but it would do.

The movie didn't get any less scary as it progressed. Beast Boy's nail chewing had erected a pile of clippings up to his chin. When a shriek erupted on screen Beast Boy toppled the pile when he rocketed out of his seat and landed on Celine's lap. The movement shocked Celine, completely unsure of what to do. She turned to Cyborg hoping for an explanation. It was clear from his expression that he had nothing. Celine rubbed her head before taking a course of action. She stood up, dumping the changeling on the floor and made to exit the aisle, nearly tripping over Terra's feet as she exited. Beast Boy pulled himself to a crouch and watched the rest of the movie from behind the safety of another chair.

The ending clips rolled. The lights turned on. The Titans were thoroughly terrified.

"That was most… unforgettable." Starfire stated as tried to reverse the hair-raising effects the movie had had on her.

Speedy nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I'll never forget how Sakura squirmed like a little girl when the main character got her brain chewed. I didn't know you were such a horror movie chicken."

"I'm not…"

"So then why did you spend half the movie with her head in my shoulder?"

Sakura made a face at him. "Maybe because I like you dummy." Sakura replied.

"No--- That's why you held my hand. Admit it, you were scared."

"No."

"Yes you were." Speedy continued to pester her and she continued to resist until finally frustration got the better of her.

"I wasn't scared! Get it through your head! Speedy no baka⁷!" Sakura stormed off.

Speedy turned his head to Robin, completely unsure how to read what just happened. "That's some term of endearment right?"

Robin shook his head. "Absolutely not."

Speedy smiled. "I guess I'll go apologize."

"So quick?" Raven asked.

"Yeah… that girl's got me wrapped around her finger."

Robin turned to Raven. "Yeah. I know the feeling."

End of Part Two

A/N

¹Raven can't find HOPE on her own. It shows her dependence on others for finding it. She needs someone to point it out to her. I think we all know the REAL who…

²That is, Raven refers to her as BravE not BraverY

³Her desperate manifestations are her creepy birds.

⁴Umm… Indian style

⁵This is the spell she used to trap Malchior

⁶ Blue is Raven, Green is BravE and Yellow is KnowledgE

⁷ Speedy no baka is Speedy you idiot: In the case of Sakura and Speedy, it may very well be a term of endearment.


	28. Remembersees Part Three

Remembersees

Part Three

Terra didn't understand the severity of the situation. She just didn't. All she knew was that Beast Boy was tearing up the mail because he didn't receive a Zoo Life book. His morning had started off with him at a ridiculous level of excitement. His afternoon seemed to be the end of his life.

Morning came and sat for the longest time. Beast Boy had all but forced Terra and Celine to join his and Cyborg's tournament. The four sat in the common room with controllers in hand. The bright screen flashed, prompting the players to design their characters for battle. Cyborg twisted and scrolled through his options and Beast Boy seemed to pick his parts at random. Celine and Terra sat side by side thoroughly uninspired to follow suit.

"Now explain to me again why I'm doing this?" Celine asked.

"The object of the game is to beat as many bad guys as possible." Beast Boy replied.

"And you think I don't get enough of this in the real world…why?"

"It's not just beating the bad guys, we're beating each other!"

"Because that sounds like fun." Celine deadpanned.

"It's like the training we do! We can see how far we can push each other." Beast Boy said, making the last adjustments to his character.

"You mean it's just another way for you to beat each other up?" Terra replied.

"Right." "Yep."

"I guess this way no one gets bruised." Celine said, scrolling slowly through the features. She couldn't help but notice a bias in the female options towards skimpy clothes and not much else. She could tell she wasn't going to like this at all. Terra scratched the side of her face and picked a few random buttons, locking in her character. A few seconds later Beast Boy's button mashing stopped. He was locked in too.

"Come on Omicron." Cyborg said, others could hear the cheekiness in his voice rising. "I promise I'll go easy on you." Cyborg entered the last of his key combination, he's fitted player ready for battle.

"Go easy on me?"

"I've won the last six times in a row. There's no way you're going to beat me." Cyborg replied, flexing his muscle.

Celine raised an eyebrow and accepted the challenge. The virtual stadium roared to life. The players marched and conquered, each of the four players controlling an army of one: dashing across bridges, into crowded building and across corrals. The thrill of the "bang bang shoot-'em up action" was lost on Celine. She was the first to drop out. Cyborg had sought her out and in his over-familiarity with the game, took her down a peg. Terra tossed down her controller when the boys eliminated her as well.

"Looks like it's just you and me." Beast Boy said, turning his green eyes just for a moment to look at his competitor.

"Yep. Ready to taste defeat?"

"Somehow I don't think seven is going to be your lucky number." Beast Boy replied.

The game paced on, eventually Terra lost interest and in all honesty so did Celine, but Celine choose to sit and wait for a winner. After two hours, she got one. Cyborg was methodical; Beast Boy seemed to be acting on impulses. Tiny flickers of action sparked on the screen, little men toppled and lost and the scenery pivoted with each flicker of a thumb.

The colors raced and tumbled as Beast Boy and Cyborg directed their challengers in a one on one pursuit. The chasing was the longest part and if Celine wanted to admit it, it got rather boring. But was rewarded for her ability to sit in one place: before her eyes, was a standstill.

Beast Boy and Cyborg stood perfectly still, both on screen and off. Their two players, a methodical rampage on two legs towered over the wiry, hodgepodge of a character. Their hold off lasted until Celine got bored and dropped her chin into her hand. Cyborg drew and so did Beast Boy.

The screen fizzled and whipped with excitement as the onslaught rained in thousands of pixels per second. The animated dust blocked the battle shot. Cyborg turned to Beast Boy.

"I drew faster than you. Looks like I win again."

"Dude, there's no way you beat me."

"How could I not? My guy is infinitely better than yours."

"I don't think so."

"Would you like me to count them off? I've got all the time in the----"

"The smokes clearing." Celine said.

The pair turned to the screen. The victor stood tall.

"Yes!" Beast Boy rocketed into the air, his excitement streaming from beneath him.

Cyborg's jaw dropped. His controller fell to the floor unattended. Celine waved a hand in front of his face. He wasn't blinking. It would take her tapping his metal headwear to get a response.

"That's not possible!" The force of the verbal assault knocked Celine off the couch.

"Not only is it possible it happened!" Beast Boy shouted.

Beast Boy morphed in rapid succession as he bounced up and down on the couch. He didn't have to say a word, Cyborg knew he was gloating. He fumed silently as Beast Boy continued to jump around.

"I am the King!" Beast Boy finally said, dancing about in what could only be called a victory jig. Celine found it amusing, Cyborg found it anything but. Eventually the green changeling became bold, turning into a kitten and taking to leaping and bounding over Cyborg's parts. The mechanical crime fighter swatted at the hurdling ball of green fur. Celine stood up giving Beast Boy the perfect place to dive when Cyborg's hand came dangerously close to catching him.

Celine blinked twice when Beast Boy landed on her head. The green kitten dropped its head to stare her in the face. Celine reached up and gently pulled the animal from her head, securing him in her arm.

"Well then, come on **Beast King**. The mail's probably here. I suggest we go before Cyborg crumbles in on himself from the shame of defeat." The green cat purred. Celine smirked at Cyborg, watching the red waves of anger rise from his head. The pair walked off, their backs turned when Cyborg stuck out his tongue.

"I saw that you sore loser!" Celine yelled back at him. Cyborg grimaced. Seeing Beast Boy's kitten face peeking back at him didn't help his mood. The mechanical man stomped off, muttering something along the lines of "everyone gets a free one" before he disappeared into the kitchen.

As he walked past the window, he could barely make out the shape of Aqualad and Blackfire on the beach. Aqualad stood in the waist deep water, his shirt left behind as a blanket for Blackfire. The Atlantian's body was covered in the sea water, the salt didn't bother him: he thrived in it. The clear water began to spin and twirl as Aqualad concentrated his powers. On the beach, Blackfire watched intently. The dance of the water was fabulous, the flashes of colors caught from the sun and the tiny creatures at the water's floor shimmered. Aqualad's smile radiated. Blackfire had to smile as well.

Aqualad raised his right hand over his head, with it a wave of water nearly thirty feet high followed his motion. The sun sparkled against the tiny grains of salt, a steady stream of color danced against the arc of water. The shadow of the wave took nothing away from the bronze and beauty of Aqualad's skin, his smile standing out as the most beautiful sight to take in.

Blackfire watched the water spin and hover along the sky. When the water pulled back, returning to the greater ocean, Blackfire rose to her knees. Against the sky a rainbow had formed. Blackfire had never seen colors so wonderful. Her hands clasped together as she gasped in delight.

Aqualad slowly approached the beach, watching Blackfire watch the sky. As hard as he tried to remember, he knew he had never seen eyes so wide and beautiful. Aqualad smiled as he came to stand beside her. She took her eyes away from the rainbow to look at him.

"It is beautiful… The colors are all so wonderful."

"I'm glad you liked it."

Blackfire smiled and turned her eyes to see those colors again. Aqualad pivoted his body to watch as well. He would notice first, if Blackfire noticed at all would remain unclear, the tiny flash of energy racing off the end of the rainbow. Aqualad's brow furrowed for a moment, realizing it was a space craft, but he forgot all his thoughts when Blackfire's delicate hand touched his arm. Aqualad tried not to blush, but it was the first time her skin had ever touched his. It felt as wonderful as he had imagined.

"Blackfire." Aqualad said. He tensed slightly when he felt her grasp flex and relax. "Blackfire, I… I like… being with you." Inside Aqualad's heart dropped kicked his stomach, twisting the organ about. That was not what he wanted to say, he wanted to say so much more. He could turn a million girls to look and stare at him and then break a million hearts… but Blackfire was his million-and-one… and that was his limit.

Blackfire smiled, turning her pretty face to look at him. "I enjoy the presence of your company as well Aqualad."

"Right… but do you think you could enjoy my company exclusively?"

Blackfire didn't exactly understand what Aqualad's words meant, but had a feeling that what he asked of her was what the girls had been hinting at as "being Aqualad's girl". She could see in Aqualad's face that he was hesitant. She had seen him fidgeting nervously around her and found it one of her favorite qualities in Aqualad: he was uncertain in his actions as well. Since she had become good friends with the Atlantian Titan, Blackfire didn't feel the desperation that her sister suggested she should feel. Her mind was mostly a blank slate, but what she did hold there were wonderful moments with Aqualad. She didn't know if it were true or not that she had never felt that way about anyone before, but she did know that it didn't matter.

"You desire to be my Robin?" Blackfire asked.

"If you're willing to be my Raven."

"You do not wear a mask." Blackfire stated.

"No I don't. This way I can see everything." Aqualad swallowed shallowly, trying to keep his nerves in check as he reached his fingers to trace the curved on Blackfire's face. Those strong fingers grazed her neck lightly until they rested on her shoulder. "I… I…"

"I'm glad." Blackfire said simply.

Inside the tower, glad did not describe the mood. Beast Boy tore through the mail bin, tossing fan letters and bills, articles and useless newspapers about in a frenzy. He cut his finger through his glove in his terrible haste. It wasn't there. _Why isn't it here?_

Celine sat on the floor sorting through Beast Boy's wreckage just incase in his worry he had overlooked what he was looking for. Beast Boy's hands worked in a terrible panic. _It has to be here! It has to!_ He poured through fan letters, bills and miscellaneous garbage but couldn't find his magazine. Terra found him under a pile of shredded mail.

"Beast Boy… what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my magazine! It's got to be in here!"

Terra reached down and handled a mangled fan letter addressed to Starfire and another one for Cyborg. Starfire's was nearly torn to shreds, salvaging Cyborg's would take more time and tape than she was willing to commit. She dropped the letters back into the pile and sighed.

"So you're destroying everyone else's mail to find a stupid magazine?"

"It's not stupid!" Beast Boy yelled, his fists were balled up. To Celine it looked like he was prepared to cry. Celine stood up and walked around a furiously hunting green bloodhound until she stood side by side with Terra.

"His magazine is really important to him."

"I don't see why a Zoo Life magazine holds so much value."

The two girls watched Beast Boy collapse in frustration on top of the shredded mail.

"It's not the magazine that he cares about."

Terra tightened her brow. Celine obviously knew something that she didn't. She had noticed in her time back with the Titans that Beast Boy spent a lot of his day with Celine. More so than he did with Cyborg and the others and definitely more than he spent with her. Terra looked up at the girl genius: her pretty brown skin, her flowing dark red hair, the curves that didn't quit… the legs up to her face… Terra had seen the way Beast Boy was with Celine, pulling her along with him when they had went to the mall, how he constantly involved her in anything he did, whether or not Terra was also invited; how he'd stand up extra straight to emphasize the shrinking height difference between the pair. Celine was the nice girl, the pretty one that turned heads wherever she went.

Terra could tell Beast Boy wasn't immune to her charms. Terra didn't wear jealously well.

Terra put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. He didn't shake it off, but didn't seem to notice it either. "You'll find it." Terra said simply.

Behind them the door to the tower began to open.

"Beast Boy." Celine said, turning to face the opening door, "Maybe that's the postman, he might have had double loads and he's bringing it now."

Beast Boy leapt to his feet, toppling Terra into a pile of papers. Celine grimaced before reaching down and righting the geomancer. That was the position they'd be in when the door opened: Celine pulling Terra out of a pile of torn papers while Beast Boy rushed to the door. _It had to be it!_ Beast Boy surmised. _Good news always used the front door.¹_

…

Robin had never skipped in his life. Ever. But for some reason he had the urge. He couldn't describe it, could barely control it and had absolutely no explanation for Raven about the smile on his face.

Raven had sat and watched him train that morning. Watched the way his body was like a fluid art. Even through the layer of his uniform, she could see the muscles play as he stretched, jabbed and kicked. It might have been the way his lips were parted when he took in a breath, or the way the sweat made his skin glisten like fresh fruit after the rain… it might have just been that LUsT wanted to make herself known. But whatever the reason, Raven couldn't take her eyes off of him.

Robin finished his routine and announced he was going to take a shower. Raven nodded, feeling silly afterwards. It wasn't as if Robin was looking for her approval. She went to her room and found a book to take up her attention. She wasn't exactly sure how, but she managed to knock over her mirror in the process. The purple haired girl leaned down to retrieve it, but paused when she saw her reflection.

Her hair was tumbling down and the blush was out of place, but Raven saw it. She might have seen what Robin saw in her face that made him look at her the way he did. Raven looked at herself and saw the face of a woman, a woman who felt the entire spectrum of emotions that came with being Robin's girl.

Robin was emotional, sporadic, a little spastic but definitely wonderful. She hoped that maybe he dreamed of her the way she dreamed of him. She could never feel his happy dreams. Maybe he dreamed like she did, maybe he wished for wonderful things… maybe he wished for the two of them to go that next step.

Raven blushed furiously. She could see herself in the mirror and she looked ridiculous. Her face was pink, her eyes were wide and her smile was as nervous as she had ever seen. It was embarrassing that something so simple and complicated as another level of intimacy could reduce her to a giggling school girl.

Raven shook her head, her image waving in the mirror. She prepared to turn it way when a sharp spark ran through her fingers and connected with her mirror. Raven gasped and dropped it, clutching her wounded finger to her chest. She watched the mirror cautiously, waiting for another random event. Her mirror had never reacted to anything before. After a few seconds her dark power enveloped her mirror, floating it in front of her. She looked into it and saw only her reflection. Raven laughed at herself, returning the dear item to her bureau. _It must be LUsT acting up… She's going to be a pain… _Raven grabbed her book and left her room.

She didn't even think about the consequences of her inaction.

Robin decided to take a nap during the day, something that Raven had never heard him say before. If Robin wanted a nap, he would have one and apparently Raven had to be involved. That was how Raven found herself, sitting against the bright yellow couch: a book that was really being looked at rather than read in one hand; between the index finger and thumb of the other was a thick strand of black hair. Robin's head laid in her lap his face towards hers. If it weren't for the years of knowing Robin, she wouldn't have been able to tell if his eyes were opened or closed.

_His eyes… _Raven's fingers faltered in their twirling of Robin's locks. In the deep intimacy of their bond, some things remained hidden from her. She was happy about it, it just meant there were more things left for Robin to share… and if she had her way, they'd have years to unravel each other. But there was one thing she was infinitely curious about. Robin's eyes. Robin only took off his mask in the shower and as she had never been within a room of that occurrence, she had never seen him without it. When he slept, when he ate, when he sweated, when he sighed that mask was there.

If Raven didn't have the ability to look deeper, she might have seen it as a standing barrier between them. But besides the constant ache of curiosity, Robin's identity secrecy didn't bother her. He wore it so cool and it was one of the things she liked about him. He lived life cool. He could stand in the sunset and have all the colors of the universe pool around him in a mad dance, but her eyes would only be on him. The earth could throw tremors and quakes but he'd stand perfectly still. He'd rise and fall with her near the end of the world…

Cool. Powerful. Perfect. Hers.

Robin woke up and found Raven gazing down at him. He smiled at her. She smiled back. Their looks were frozen when the crash was heard.

…

_It's not the mailman._ Beast Boy decided. He gave the vision before him another up and down. _Definitely not the mailman._ He stood tall, platinum blonde hair spiked outrageously in a manner that put Robin to shame. His eyes were blue and more blue, layered in a way that the Titans had become rather familiar with. Behind him a cooling space craft could be seen. It was held mostly in shadow due to its position in front of the sun.

"I seek Koriand'r. I was told she could be found here."

The three Titans shifted eyes between each other.

"You've got the wrong address. No Corey Ander lives here. This is Titans' Tower." Beast Boy replied.

The blue eyed man, obviously alien from the complexity and color of his garb, seemed distraught. His head turned to the side; he looked for the world close to tears.

"I have searched many blorknars to reach this place. I was told I could find Koriand'r here and I came making the haste…"

Terra leaned over to Celine, who had to kneel considerably to have her ear be at Terra's mouth. "This guy sounds like Starfire."

"Yeah. His eyes are kind of like hers too. Maybe Koriand'r is Starfire." Celine agreed.

"Or Blackfire." Terra added.

It was Starfire. At least that was what the threesome in the entrance hall decided when Starfire entered the room. Starfire gasped, dropping the pudding of good wishes she had prepared for the day. She almost didn't recognize him. But when her eyes adjusted, she knew it couldn't be anyone else: not with those eyes, not with that hair, not with the proud way he stood and the empathy that poured out of him… all the things that made him Tameran's greatest living champion.

"D'ucel?"

The blonde Tameranian turned; a huge smile lit his face. "Koriand'r!" The pair flew to each other, meeting in the air. D'ucel reached out a hand and touched his princess' shoulder.

"Princess Koriand'r! I am very glad to see you."

"D'ucel… how can this be? The war…"

"It was a difficult journey… fraught with much peril. But I have survived and have come to collect my beloved bride."

Starfire grimaced. Celine and Terra's eyes widened to saucers. Beast Boy collapsed onto his mail pile, thoroughly unimpressed. He had seen something like this before. Starfire turned her head away. D'ucel's eyes tremored as he felt the uncertainty and distress flow through Starfire like water.

"My princess… where is Komand'r?"

It was as if the cosmos had aligned for the reunion that D'ucel had planned. Aqualad and Blackfire entered the tower… and D'ucel got his answer.

The End of Part Three

A/N

¹Both Celine and Sakura used the front door when they were introduced.


	29. Remembersees Part Four

Remembersees

Part Four

Speedy was a generous lover. At least Sakura believed so, not that she had any other experience to compare him to. Speedy seemed to know all the methods to make her feel adored. Sakura never asked Speedy about his patience and infinite care, but had she; he would have told her that his generosity was inspired by her. He had never been in love before, though he had taken partners and Sakura was not his reciprocal first.

Speedy cared about Sakura, enjoyed the blush that rose to her cheeks when he touched her. When he woke up, he hoped that Sakura would always been in his arms, he was the kind of man who was desperate for a woman's touch, specifically his woman's touch. Speedy didn't act to seduce Sakura, didn't think to lure her into his arms at night, but found nothing made him happier than to have her there, with her fingers laced with his, with her head on his chest while she slept.

Speedy would stay awake longer than Sakura knew, running his fingers through her hair while he thought about the universe. To Speedy it was a little grandiose to think that somehow his actions as a man, as a hero, as a lover, had some pull in the wake of the universe, but that was the way he was. The way he lived was large and was mostly due to the fact that as a younger man he couldn't. Sakura had let him piece together some of her past, how she was injured and that Sakura Chloe wasn't all there was to her real name: she had a secret identity, just like he did. Maybe that's why the feelings he felt for the half-Japanese heroine were so powerful: they were so much a like in how they were so bold and larger than life but still kept so many secrets.

She didn't know all the bad things he had witnessed before he became a Titan or how lucky he had been to stumble upon the Green Lantern. And if he had his way, she never would. The balance of their relationship lied in the fact that they knew little about each other: mystery attracted them both. She already knew his name, though she never thought to use it, and his eye color had taken her by surprise. What remained was his identity, that little part of himself that was his alone. He knew Sakura wouldn't pry, but he feared that one day he'd be vulnerable and let it slip out and then where would they be? He'd have nothing left to offer her and she was the kind to take everything he had to give_… what would she take when my arsenal runs dry?_

Sakura and Speedy spared in a noise pollution of their own design. Sakura breathed heavily and heaved her weapon to slice through the air with a sigh. Speedy leaped and bounded, his boots clicking against the floor. Each draw of a bolt clipped the air, sending a tiny spark of noise into the room.

Speedy's body danced to dodge her attacks, moving up and away, stringing bolts mechanically, his natural talent escaped from the tips of his fingers to soar through the air like a dashing wolf. He took excitement from watching Sakura parry and push, her eyes narrowed and focused, her fists balled tightly, always on the balls of her feet. Speedy could watch her move all day. His fingers flexed, unleashing his skill, pushing Sakura left, back and right; the way her hair fell in her eyes, the way her chest rose when she pushed forward, the way she licked her lips right before she punched him in his side…

Speedy faltered, taking the blow at nearly full force. He was lucky she was having as much fun as he was, a full force attack would have shattered at least one rib. Speedy leaped back stiffly to avoid more strikes, as her movements dropped sweat along her cheek, Speedy watched her still amazed after all the time he had known her how powerful her body was. It was a combination of her training and her Holy power, her amazing gift kept her body fighting, kept pushing Speedy into a corner, kept him pinned there when she stepped into his range.

It was a quick shot and risky, but it worked. Right when Sakura was within arms length, before she could raise a knee to his stomach, Speedy spun his bow, swinging over the younger girl's head. She seemed to catch his intent and dropped quickly onto her back, pulling Speedy forward. Speedy lost his balance and was laid out in a perfect sacrifice back throw, sailing over Sakura's head clumsily. Speedy recovered to his knee, a bolt strong tightly, unleashed too late when Sakura landed a sliding kick, taking out his base. The blow stopped short, leaving Sakura pinned slightly under the taller Speedy's body.

The two rolled against each other, their fingers gripping fiercely as they grappled for dominance. Eventually the struggle brought them to their feet. Sakura's eyes darted over Speedy's face from his masked eyes to his lips. Speedy's eyes found her lips, but caught her smirk too late. In a move he hadn't expected, Sakura leaned forward and kissed him swiftly on the mouth. Speedy's eyes widened, loosening his grip just enough for Sakura free her fingers, pulling from his hands to his shoulders. Speedy didn't have enough time to defend when Sakura raised both of her boots and planted them into his chest. She somersaulted while his body soared backwards. The red clad Titan slid across the floor. His body stopped, scrapping briefly against the arch of his bow. He pulled himself up and dusted off his shoulder.

"That was dirty." Speedy said, drawing back a bolt.

"But it was fun." Sakura blew him a kiss. Speedy smirked and the two continued their mad dance. They would find themselves again, caught in a deadlock, her smaller fingers locked over his as he gripped his bow.

"We could do this all day. Give in." Sakura grunted as she pushed Speedy's hands back towards his chest. Speedy grunted in response.

"But that would be boring. Neh koibito?" Speedy asked. His smiled took over his entire face when Sakura's eyes widened in shock. It was a quick pivot of his waist and wrists that spun the bow in his grasp and by association turned Sakura around, pinning the girl's back to his chest with his bow locked under her breast.

"Who taught you that phrase?" Sakura asked, panting slightly both from the excursion and Speedy's breath on her neck.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Speedy pulled his weapon tighter against Sakura's body. "I win."

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think so."

Speedy didn't know what she planned to do to escape and never found out. Just as Sakura set her feet for her counter, an obnoxious crash echoed down the hall, bombarding into the training room. Speedy relaxed his grasp and Sakura stepped out of his embrace, their training completely forgotten. Without a word, the pair made their way to the entrance hall.

Starfire hesitated in answering D'ucel's question. She found herself in a situation she had never considered, never even believed possible: belief would require some sort of acknowledgement of potential… for which Star had none. The pretty Tameranian hadn't seen D'ucel in nearly eighteen half-years. Then she had been just a small girl of seven whole years and Blackfire was twenty four Blaxrigs,¹ just at the age of engagement. The year of Blackfire's arrangement for marriage had been one fraught with much distress. Tameran's champion Foxfire was near the center.

Starfire turned to the blue eyed fighter who stood anxiously waiting for her answer. Starfire couldn't open her mouth, had nowhere to begin with all the terrible things she had to say. She could see how his eyes waved, she knew from memory that he could feel her distress. It confused him; he knew that if it were tragedy she would have spoken already, even if unable to complete her sentence. But his princess had said nothing, leaving them both in a terrible stand still: the pain in his heart grew the longer he looked into her eyes. When she looked away he gained some relief, but only for a moment.

Beast Boy collapsed, the only person able to take his eyes off of the platinum blonde Tameranian. He huffed pitifully, wallowing in a pile of shredded mail. As bad as whatever it was that was happening over his head, what was happening in his heart was more terrible. It was fear; fear that he didn't know he could feel. His mother hadn't failed once in the years that he had been with the Titans to write him a letter. Even when she had broken her hand while dashing through the jungles of the Congo in search of her latest study, she had put a pencil between her teeth and scribbled out a letter for him; it had been short and sloppy: I miss you, I love you, I'm okay.

But that letter wasn't there. There was nothing. The normally cheerful changeling couldn't force a smile in that moment; he hadn't been this scared in a long time.

The shadow that fell over the green teenager matched his mood. Aqualad and Blackfire stared down at the hunched over animorph wondering why he was laying his face in what looked to be the day's mail. Aqualad shrugged and wrapped his arm gently around Blackfire's waist. He felt a tiny spark when his gloved hand met the armor platting of her garb. It felt like a warning, some sort of backlash. It stung slightly, but he didn't pull away. Instead he looked forward and met eyes with the new arrival.

Starfire watched D'ucel's eyes move from her face to something happening quietly behind her back. Starfire felt more than saw the excitement in D'ucel's eyes. As a hero of Tameran, whose people's powers were governed by emotion, D'ucel's heightened emotional abundance had led him to conquer more foes in the name of Tameran than any Grand Ruler or warrior before him. His emotions streamed from him like stampeding feet of Virluvian fortnorbs. It was a gift most Tameranians desired.

_In battle it made him sensitive to the intentions of enemies. Often it would lead to his victory… _

Starfire turned her head sadly to watch D'ucel move around her to engage Blackfire. No one was close enough to see that sadness there. D'ucel felt it for an instant, she could see from the way his steps were uneven for just a moment.

_At this moment… I fear his emotions will lead to defeat…_

The scene unfolded without words almost. D'ucel approached Komand'r, ignoring all the world around him. He ignored the hands and eyes of others; all he could see was long black hair and eyes the blue of the Tameranian holy waters: eyes of the greatest Grand Ruler, eyes of legacy. D'ucel moved quickly, standing in front of Komand'r: taking in the curve of her face, the wavering irises, the face that he had missed so much…

"My Komand'r… I have returned as I promised."

Blackfire blinked blankly. Before her, a vision of beauty stood. The way he looked at her, the way her heart drummed in her chest, she knew from these things that he knew her and possibly once she knew him as well. It wasn't his words: it was the way his eyes met hers, the way his hand gently touched her face… the way his lips touched hers.

A pain shot through Blackfire's head as D'ucel was forcefully pulled away from her. Her eyes turned to see Aqualad shove himself between her and the man who had kissed her, pushing both men a few feet in front of her. Aqualad's push had been enough for the Tameranian fighter to engage in a skirmish, in seconds the alien fighter pinned Aqualad's arm behind his back. Aqualad twisted his body, but couldn't free himself from his capture's grasp. Aqualad gritted his teeth, grunts escaping his lips as the grip refused to ease.

"I do not know why you have attacked me, but if you do not desist, I will be forced to cause you harm." D'ucel spoke calmly and slowly, each word waited with consequence and compassion. In other circumstances, Aqualad wouldn't have found it infuriating.

The Titans gasped collectively. Starfire stepped forward to break up the misunderstanding; she only made it one step. Blackfire only watched for a moment before purple eye beams erupted, slamming into Aqualad's capture's chest. The blow hurled the unsuspecting D'ucel across the ground, skidding to a stop at Starfire's feet. From there the two could watch Blackfire run to Aqualad's aid, placing worried hands on both his shoulders.

Starfire could feel the uncertainty flowing from D'ucel, it cracked against the air furiously. Before D'ucel could make a step forward to approach Blackfire again, Star grabbed his shoulder. She knew from the way his shoulders tensed that he understood something: that things were different… and Starfire was the only one who knew enough to explain it all.

The eyebeams tearing across the floor and D'ucel's mass slamming into the ground had gained the attention of all the Titans. Blackfire helped Aqualad to stand, barely able to keep her eyes on the dark haired Titan. Her eyes left his face to stare at another face, with blue eyes that watched her intently. The pain again came to her head; her fingers rubbed the tense muscle beside her eye. Aqualad pushed her hand away, touching her face and surprised to find fever racing up her cheeks. His dark eyes left Blackfire's face for just a moment to throw a look at the man who not moments ago had kissed **his** girl. Moments ago Blackfire had been happy and painless, within seconds of contact a painful ache came over her face. Aqualad's eyes narrowed: he didn't know who the newcomer was, but he wanted him gone.

Robin stepped forward taking in the scene before him. "What's going on?" Starfire turned her head to look at him.

"Friends… Please let us retire to the common room. We have much to discuss."

The tale from Starfire came in bits and pieces. For the most part she was forced to remember things from when she was just a small child and in the innocence of her state of mind didn't recognize the severity of it. As Starfire spoke she realized that the story would make more since if it was more than just herself and D'ucel piecing the fractured history together. Her green eyes turned to her older sister: behind those unadultered eyes were the corner pieces and detailed puzzle fragments of the past… lost there and useless…

"Before the death of my father, the allies of Tameran sent a request for aide in a war against those who were impeding on their resources and causing much pain and distress. Tameran sent warriors to protect our friends in a very distant end of the Turblorc quadrant." Starfire began, her powerful fingers were gripped against each other in a form that reminded Aqualad of prayer. He saw that D'ucel was holding his the same way and had his fingers not been gently interrupting Blackfire's balled fists, he suspected hers would have pulled together the same way.

"At this time I was only seven years old… however, my sister was twelve… just at the age for marriage arrangements to be prepared. As the eldest daughter to the throne, the Grand Ruler desired only the best warrior for her hand… he wanted Foxfire…"

D'ucel nodded his head, clearing any uncertainty to who Star was referring to. "It is Tameranian tradition for a long engagement, where the male must prove his worth in battle. Though I had proved myself to be a matchless champion to Tameran in many wars and gauntlets, it was the will of my Grand Ruler that I prove my value by giving the aid to our allies."

"My sister and Tameran's Foxfire were to be married a year following the cease of the battles. My sister waited in great anxious fever for news of the war to end and for D'ucel's return… A year pasted and Tameran fell into a saddened state. My father… lost his life… leaving Tameran with a chancellor's rule… The chancellor recalled all the soldiers from battle… Over the course of the following year, many of the warriors of Tameran returned… however… D'ucel did not."

D'ucel said nothing, his heart felt sour… he had expected some sort of emotion from Blackfire to reach his heart, but nothing came from her. Instead, Starfire's sadness sunk into his chest as she continued her story.

"We were told that Foxfire would not be returning to us… The great many of our people mourned for him. Blackfire mourned the longest. In her great sadness, she became inconsolable and after one year of the last warriors' return, my sister left Tameran…"

"Only a few weeks ago was I able to make the return to Tameran. I was told that Komand'r was banished… I did not understand how my sweet beloved could be turned away from our people. I could not believe the terrible things they had spoken of Komand'r doing. I desired to find her… I was told that possibly Koriand'r could tell me where to locate her… so I came here." D'ucel finished, taking his eyes across the room, ignoring the radiating displeasure coming from Aqualad to lay his eyes on his fiancée. "I have waited many years to be reunited with you Komand'r! We must make the homecoming to Tameran! There we can be granted marriage!"

D'ucel stood up. Aqualad did too. "You can't marry her!" Aqualad shouted, balling his fists.

"Of course I can! She is my fiancée! She was promised to me by the Grand Ruler and she accepted the proposal! We must go to Tameran for the ceremony!"

Everyone but Aqualad, Blackfire and Beast Boy gasped. Beast Boy slumped against his seat. As much as he loved drama, and no drama trumped Tameranian tradition, he wasn't focused on Aqualad and the blonde spiky haired guy's beef. He was worried about the woman who had given him life, the woman who raised him and loved him unconditionally: the only woman whose love for him would never betray him.

Terra's eyes shifted back and forth between Aqualad, Blackfire and D'ucel, with every pass she caught a quick glimpse of Raven watching the drama unfold. She was nearly knocked over when Aqualad's thunderous steps sent tremors through the floor as he stomped to stand eye to eye with D'ucel.

"You're not taking her anywhere! You have no claim on her!"

"Who are you to stay that?" D'ucel asked.

Aqualad blushed furiously. His mouth opened and closed, unable to find his voice. "I'm her… She's my!..." He groaned in frustration, only an hour ago he had asked Blackfire to be more than friends and she had said yes. For the life of him he couldn't understand why the anxiety wouldn't clear.

Robin stepped forward, putting a body between the Tameranian battle king and the incoherent Atlantian. Robin turned his back to Aqualad and faced D'ucel.

"I'm afraid we can't just let you take Blackfire away. It's been a long time since you and Blackfire even saw each other… we can't even be sure she feels the same way about you…"

"The love I have for Komand'r can not be defeated by time or space!"

Starfire stood up, her hand close to her chest in worry. A sharp tug pulled at D'ucel again as the green eyed princess approached him. Her face was calm and her voice was slow even though her heart was throbbing in her chest.

"We believe that is so my friend, but I fear that Blackfire's feelings have been defeated by the Grugdindorf."

"Grugdindorf?" D'ucel pulled his eyes away to Blackfire, tracing her face for something to spark; some emotion to pool from her and enter his heart… but there was nothing… not even a trace. _There must be a trace!_ D'ucel brushed past Aqualad and knelt before Komand'r. "Is that true? You chose a Grugdindorf for your history?"

Blackfire nodded.

"Why?"

Blackfire had no answer. Robin and Speedy managed to restrain a furious Aqualad long enough for Raven and Starfire to stand on either side of D'ucel's shoulders.

"We don't know why… she doesn't either." Raven stated.

"Where is her tape?"

"Tape?" Starfire asked.

"Yes. With the cleansing of the mind a last record is taken to be given to you with your key. Your key tells you where to go… your record tells you why."

Celine stood up then, crossing her arms over her chest. "In my research, I didn't come across anything about a tape. Only a key."

"Tapes are not a part of the public record. They are stored at the Yinti Home World. It can only be accessed by whomever had the Grugdindorf preformed…"

Blackfire spoke for the first time since encountering D'ucel. "Then I can remember… everything?"

"Yes." D'ucel grabbed her hand. "Whatever you wished to be remembered forever would be on that tape! I believed that you must have made the mention of me and our promise to each other!"

Aqualad knocked Speedy and Robin to the floor and dashed to D'ucel. He pulled the other man away from Blackfire. "What does that matter? Even if we see that tape it won't change anything!"

"Will it not?"

Aqualad and D'ucel turned their faces. Both of them were surprised to see that it was Blackfire who spoke. The black haired girl stood, holding her hand the way D'ucel and Starfire had when telling their fractured story. "My past is a part of me… a part I have lost… If I can see what was my past… it will be the way I can see my future."

Aqualad sagged, unable to believe what he heard. _Is it that easy… to give up on me?_ Raven watched the scene unfolding, a part of her heart ached for Aqualad and again for Blackfire. There was pain there, confusion and uncertainty above all else.

_She is the exact opposite of me: her shadows lie behind her in the darkness of her past… mine wait for me to burn out my shining hope for the future…_

"If Blackfire wants to… maybe going to the Yinti Home World and acquiring her tape is in her best interest… She has to make decisions and it is only fair that she knows everything about the consequences of her choice." Raven said smoothly.

"Yes." D'ucel said, facing the group. "I will take my Komand'r and return her true self."

"Oh no, you don't! I'll take her!" Aqualad shouted.

"Why you?" D'ucel asked again. Again Aqualad couldn't find his words.

Cyborg stepped forward, acting the diplomat. "I think we're all going. We've all put investment into helping Blackfire get to where she is… we're all going to be there when she gets to where she's going."

"Agreed. Titans lets prepare for a voyage to…"

Beast Boy shot out of his chair. "I don't care what you do! I'm not going!"

"Beast Boy? What's wrong?"

"I didn't get my magazine."

"What does that matter?" Aqualad asked.

"My magazine always comes with a letter from my mother! I think something is wrong! She's never missed a letter before!"

Terra's eyes widened when everything fell into place. Beast Boy had only talked about his mother in passing when she would find him sometimes sitting on the beach. The blonde girl scratched her head.

"Beast Boy… we didn't know… we could wait to go… we could fly to your home and check on her if…" Robin offered.

"No… I don't want you guys to stop what you're doing… I can find my mom on my own."

"Beast Boy… Do you want company? Not all of need to go to Yinti."

"Don't worry about me. I'll just feel better when I see her… You guys go and we'll regroup when you get back."

"If that's what you want. Let's get ready for space." Raven ordered.

It was a highly sensible plan and the Titans set about making it work. Terra hoisted her pack to her shoulders; the weight told her she'd have more than enough entertainment for her first ride through space. The blonde girl cracked her neck swiftly before taking down the hall back towards the stairwell. Her whistling was too random and off key to be called a tune, but she whistled it consistently inconsistent until she passed Celine and Sakura's room. There was a massive duffle bag dumped onto Celine's bed. Terra could barely make out the red haired girl's form as she dashed from place to place finding more things to pack into her bag.

Terra's eyes widened as she watched Celine force more than the bag could handle into the space. She swore if she looked hard enough she could see Loberos' tail wagging pitifully through a hole.

"You're taking all that stuff to outer space?" Terra asked.

Celine stopped what she was doing, finally acknowledging Terra's presence. She smiled at the shorter girl halfheartedly. Terra returned it with the same enthusiasm.

"I'm not going to outer space." She replied, observing her bag as if deciding if she could squeeze anything else into it.

"What?"

Celine looked over her bag again before thrusting her arm into up to her elbow. She rummaged noisily, pulling out a compass and with it several other items. Terra was right; Loberos had been in the bag. The wolf bumped Celine as it trotted to lay on the floor by the door.

"Celine! Why aren't you going?"

"Beast Boy is really concerned about his mother. I'm going to take him home…"

"But he said he didn't need anyone to go with him." Terra replied, dropping her pack onto the floor.

"I know what he said… but I don't think it's the truth. I think I'd feel better if someone was watching out for him. His mother is very important to him. Besides… I don't think I'm missing out by not going to space."

"But we're going to that mind wiping place! I thought you'd want to see all that weird technology!" Terra didn't understand Celine and it was something beyond Celine being a super genius. The way she acted towards her friends, towards strangers sometimes… Terra couldn't make heads or tails of her.

Celine sighed and forced her bag to close. She flipped a lock of hair back behind her shoulder before turning her brown eyes to meet Terra's blue ones. "I'm the smartest woman in the world… I'll get my chances when I need them… But right now… Beast Boy needs someone to keep him together… and I know he'd do the same for me."

"Why wouldn't you be able to keep it together?"

Celine shrugged her shoulder in a non-committing answer.

…

The Titans poured into D'ucel's space craft, Cyborg thought it in their best interest to store the optimized T-ship on board as well, just incase Blackfire made a decision that made D'ucel less than excited about returning them home. They gathered in the waiting haul. Blackfire and Aqualad were in the cockpit with D'ucel, the other Titans arranged themselves to be comfortable for the long flight. Raven propped her chin in her hand as she gazed out the window, watching again as the Earth became smaller and tragically more beautiful. Under the fingers of her free hand, Robin's black hair was tugged and smoothed, the weight of his head warm and heavy in her lap.

Cyborg sat down loudly. "So Celine's going with Beast Boy home?"

Speedy stretched out his legs. "That's what she says. He's really worried about his mom and I guess Celine feels some sort of obligation…"

"Or connection." Raven posited, not turning her face from the endless view of stars. Robin closed his eyes and went to sleep there, pulling her hand from his hair, drawing it over his chest like a security blanket.

Starfire made sure her eyes didn't linger too long on Raven and Robin, or Sakura and Speedy, as she turned her attention to the other company: Terra.

"Are you sure you do not also wish to go with Beast Boy?"

Terra wasn't as wounded to avoid looking to Raven and Robin, both able to shut out the turmoil of the world when they were in each other's arms. Terra sighed a little, putting her knees to her chest.

"No thanks… I'm not ready to meet the parents."

The End of Part Four

A/N

¹Blaxrig is a half-year

Speaking/thinking like Starfire is the hardest thing I've done to date and that includes Calculus. I realized I've been a little biased against Starfire, she gets less time than Bumble Bee… which is saying something. Even though this story is mostly Robin x Raven (which again will intensify next chapter) this chapter is mostly Star/Blackfire/Aqualad/D'ucel with Beast Boy/Celine/Terra thrown in the background. Again, this is the last build up before the meat and bones of this story.


	30. Remembersees Part Five

Remembersees

Part Five

Raven couldn't help but notice that Cyborg was looking down. Literally. It wasn't something that cybernetic Titan was prone to doing; unless he was talking to someone and had to look down to make eye contact. Raven watched him for a moment, positive that there wasn't someone else near him. Cyborg was looking down at his feet, standing near the haul of the Titans' space ship.

On their time it would have been closing in on midnight of day two of their travel to the Yinti Home World. They still had a few more hours to go, most of the Titans would sleep through it; Raven knew she wouldn't be able to until she found out what was wrong with Cyborg.

Cyborg was only slightly startled when the slight tapping of Raven's steps approached. He knew it was Raven just from the pace of it: Raven's steps were like heartbeats: they were like Starfire's smiles, Beast Boy's jokes and Robin's spirit: it was the thing that belonged to them, something that couldn't be reproduced. Raven was the steady soul amongst them; the cautious heroine, that corner piece that made the Titans, at least the original five, a family.

"Before you ask me, I'm not recharging because I don't need to." Cyborg said, turning to face the shorter girl.

Raven shook her head; she hadn't even thought to ask him that. She was sure that he knew that as well. Cyborg had been generally good about reading people… but he did have a nasty habit of falling on his face from time to time.

"I haven't much experience as the sympathetic ear… but I'll give it a try if you'll let me." Raven said.

Cyborg noticed that her cloak was drawn up around her face. Her hair was braided and tumbling over her left shoulder. It was something that Cyborg had noticed since the last time she had encountered Slade. There were three different shades of Raven: the side that worry fear close to her heart; the kind who was confused and maybe scared but could look past herself to the needs of others; and there was the Raven who was close to Robin, who was fearless and boundless. When Robin was away, even in a different room she was one of the former selves, the way she had been before she and the Boy Wonder had become more than friends. As happy as he was to see Raven happy, he enjoyed seeing the fraction of Raven that he knew best, the part of her that he could protect like a brother would a little sister.

He was selfish to want that, he knew it bones to bones, but Cyborg liked Raven; liked to think they needed each other mutually: him to protect her and her to be someone he protected. In her strength she was still a fragile thing, glass-like with a heart both cracked and glossy. But since she had become infamous with Robin, Cyborg couldn't help but feel a lack of purpose. Raven had someone to protect her and calm her fears… who did Cyborg have to protect?

"I'm a good guy right?" Cyborg asked.

Raven nodded taking a step forward.

"Then why do I always feel like I'm doing the wrong thing?"

"What is this about? Celine?"

"And BB. I let my personal goals get the best of me. I'm here in space because I'm curious about Blackfire's past… I should be in South Africa right now keeping BB's head up. He'd do the same for me."

"That's what Celine's for." Raven stated, touching her hand to Cyborg's arm.

"Celine's with BB."

Raven tilted her head. Cyborg looked down on her and in that moment it appeared that she realized her hood was up. She tugged it down, letting him the full expanse of her face. "I mean Celine's to keep your head up."

"It's not that simple." Cyborg said, resisting the urge to pull away from the purple eyed girl.

"Why not?"

It was an honest question, one that Cyborg knew he was capable of giving an honest answer to...Though Raven was new to love and he didn't want any fears or trace of doubt to harbor in her heart, he knew that it was a tragedy she could appreciate. Things fall apart. Cyborg gave into gravity and took a seat on the floor.

"I love her… but I'm just no in love with her… kind of like you and me."

Raven sat down Indian style beside Cyborg. "You and I weren't meant to be." She knew that the love Cyborg spoke of wasn't romantic: after Robin, Cyborg was the person closest to her heart. She believed that she held second place in his heart as well, but he didn't seem to know it.

"Exactly."

"… Does Celine know that?" Raven asked finally. She almost had her answer before Cyborg braved himself to respond.

"Not in so many words."

"Tell her." It wasn't a suggestion. It was a command.

"I've tried… I've wanted to… but I never could. I don't want to hurt her."

Raven stood up then, pulling her hood back over her head. Cyborg frowned at the display, bringing himself to stand as well. Raven's eyes were sad beneath the shadows on her face. Her words would chill him to the core.

"I've found that the most hurtful thing you can do is say nothing."

…

Beast Boy's sleep was punctuated by stiff turbulence. The sharp shifts of the wind was often the reason he choose to fly as a crow through these skies, the sharpness was swift through his wings, he could close his eyes and drift, the movement of the air would give him no resistance, instead lead him to home… the wind always knew where he wanted to go.

Celine's fingers drummed against the steering wheel, the beat was smooth but restless. Those fingers stopped tapping when a wet muzzle brushed against them. Celine took her eyes off the sky and noticed Loberos as he tried to fit his head under her hand. Celine scratched the blue furred beast under his chin. Loberos' snout brushed her leg as he dropped his chin unto her lap.

"What's wrong?" Celine asked continuing to rub the wolf's face. Loberos' tail stopped whipping up and down, drawing her attention past his hind end and to the copilot's chair. Beast Boy turned back and forth, trying to get comfortable. He seemed to be failing miserably. Celine looked down at Loberos and smiled sadly. _I see… something of the bond of kin…_

Celine stood up, taking off her jacket. She balled it up tightly before slipping it under Beast Boy's head, coaching his body to sleep. Celine almost wished she understood the fear that Beast Boy was going through. As a girl, Celine never had that feeling of uncertainty when it came to her mother Elaina's condition. Whenever she came home from school, Elaina would be laying in bed, weak as a kitten, waiting for Celine to tend to her.

It saddened her to think of her mother that way. Much of her memory was filled with some sadness. Celine would remember leaving the Stone house, where the family room was bright and the family was loving, to walk home to the poor section of Brock where she'd return to the colorlessness of her room to curl up with a book until Elaina needed her. Despite what she claimed about the history of geniuses that slept only three hours, that wasn't why she stayed awake so late. She knew that eventually such a sleep pattern would collapse her one day, but there was nothing she could do about it. The truth was that tending to Elaina only left her with three hours of sleep and she was conditioned to exercise that regime until something finally caught up with her.

In her memory, there was a trace of doubt that she loved her mother the way Beast Boy loved his. At the moment, she told herself that she didn't care: right now wasn't about her and the hours she had stayed up at night waiting for Elaina's keening cry for help: right now was about a scared boy who was capable of uncertainty. Celine stretched her shoulders, hoping the obnoxious cracking didn't bother Beast Boy's sleep. In about an hour she'd have to wake BB up for the final directions to his old home, to the center of his old life.

…

Starfire stood perfectly still as she watched Aqualad and Blackfire sleep. Aqualad had fallen asleep first, sitting on the stiff bench in the cockpit. Blackfire's head dropped to Aqualad's shoulder when sleep took her over as well. Starfire could only watch the tender moment before she had to pull her eyes away, taking in the bursting lights of stars exploding and birthing from nothingness. Beside her, D'ucel had been quiet for sometime, probably since Blackfire had fallen asleep, possibly longer.

Starfire had very little memory of Foxfire as a man: she had been very small the last time he had said goodbye to her. She could not account for the depth of his character, as a child there was only so much to see. But what was in her memory was compounded by the man to her right.

Starfire's speaking habits are governed by her emotional empathy… the "slower" it is, the more sensitive you are… Blackfire had been a fast talker for the last six years of her life. Starfire wondered if Blackfire had ever spoken slowly… if the memory Foxfire held to his heart was actually her sister and not the dreams that come to desperate men. Foxfire was known to speak more cautiously than any Tameranian to date; he was sensitive in battle and susceptible in the present.

D'ucel's blue eyes dipped and opened, blinking evenly as he watched the expanse of the stars. She watched him, wishing that for just a second she could understand his feelings… his heart was locked up in Blackfire's string of memory. Star's own visions of her sister, in the time where D'ucel owned Blackfire's heart, were fractured and inconsistent. She often remembered Blackfire fondly; her hands were gentle when she brushed Star's hair or when she fixed a broken trinket from Starfire's skirt. She was a different person as a child.

That was not to say that Blackfire was exceptionally kindhearted. Some of her true character had been seen by the Titans: her emphasis on age superiority and always reminding Starfire of her greater battle ability. Even as children she had been terribly ambitious, always in great anxiety for when she would wear the crown. Starfire blinked slowly. _I wonder how much of my sister's true face does D'ucel hold to his memory? And what has he pushed behind him in his desperate heart…_

Starfire burned with the memory of the conversation that had set the pilot's pit to silence. There was a great injustice in the angry voices, all of which could have been resolved by the admission of one small voice… if she had anything to say for herself…

They had sat, nearly as they were now, a greater distance was between Blackfire's head and Aqualad's shoulder, but other than that the room was static. Starfire had watched with nervous eyes as D'ucel had turned his blue eyes to Blackfire's.

Starfire had seen that lingering hope in Foxfire's face, when he asked her sister if when she learned the truths from her tape if she had any regrets in her new life. D'ucel by nature wasn't unkind or insensitive, it was quite the opposite. He had to feel the sting from Aqualad, who could say nothing one way or the other. It wasn't his place to, Starfire figured he must have believed: amongst them Aqualad stood to lose the most. If seeing Blackfire's tape would sway her towards her string of memory, she would try to go back to her old life as the waiting queen to Tameran's champion. The years having past and the record still clear to everyone but Blackfire, things could not be the way D'ucel desired. There would be no great joy for Blackfire's return and rule was rule; under Starfire's short reign she had banished her sister. If D'ucel had his way, there may be a pardon if Galfor was extremely generous. But what then for Blackfire? The Grand Ruler's pardon would not be enough to take away the distrust of Tameran's people. She would live the rest of her life bearing scorn for actions she committed but couldn't account for… and what sort of life was that for her to lead?

But still then, what of Aqualad? What was the capacity of his generous heart? If Blackfire held onto that new life, D'ucel could still return to the love of his people: if Blackfire returned to that place where she waited and loved D'ucel, Aqualad would return home… and what would he have? The memory of loss…

And what of D'ucel should Blackfire turn away from her old life again, severing her string of memory? Would Tameran's Foxfire be able to stand the constant pain of his own heartbreak?

_And where do my own loyalties lie?_ Starfire pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. _No matter what my sister decides, someone will face the tragedy of loss._ Starfire sighed. It was a tragedy she knew well, something she could not wish upon her worst enemy… and definitely not her dearest of friends.

Starfire noticed the spark of light ahead of them. Her neck craned and all too late realized that that bright light was not simply intense, it was intensifying… it was coming right for them.

The ship lurched, dumping the Titans about in the metal arena. Six fighters charged into the cockpit to find D'ucel's motherboard screaming in panic.

"What's going on?" Robin demanded.

"We are under attack."

"What? By who?"

"The great enemy to Tameran's allies… the enemy I fought against for years. Orcrixian Battle Hammers. It looks as if they are rebuilding their blockade against the Yinti. They must have recognized this as a Tameranian vessel and attacked. If we are to get to the Home World, we shall have to get through the blockade."

"Is there any chance of slipping through their defenses?" Speedy asked.

D'ucel shook his head. "The only way through… is to force our way through."

…

Desert wind was an incomparable beauty. Beast Boy stood perfectly still under the beat of the African sun and let the wind race through his hair. The air was hot; beads of sweat clung to his hairline and soaked into his skin. His memory danced with moments he had spent, just like this, under the drum of the earth and before the might of heaven.

Beast Boy had instructed Celine to land the plane just outside the village of Ordago. Celine had marveled at the clay colors, the art and the rhythm of the small town. There were less than a hundred people in the entire square but Beast Boy referred to it as a big town in these parts.

"Which one is your home?" Celine asked, reaching down to pet Loberos. He was panting heavily but the glitter in his eyes told her he was enjoying the moment.

"None of these. It's still a little way 'til we get to my house. We need to cross Tomango first."

"Tomango?"

"The guardian of Ordago and the living forest. It's a river that flows between Ordago and my home. Come on. Right now that water is probably clear to the bottom."

Beast Boy took off in a run. His pack jangled with his merry steps, each one turning over a stone of memory. He had made this run a million times in his childhood. He had often followed his mother to the village to buy supplies or to play with the local children. He could remember scraping his knees a million different ways and the million different times when his mother's kiss would soothe away his hurt.

Loberos kept pace with Beast Boy while Celine was loaded down with her heavier bag. If she would have known they were going to park so far away, she would have reconsidered her luggage. The pace was comfortable into the woods where the thick leaves and rushing water gave some relief from the sun. Beast Boy had been right; the water of Tomango was quite blue. The trip through the forest ended abruptly. The forest was short and gave rise to grassland with a horizon that Celine had to shade her eyes to view. Beast Boy and Loberos stopped their run and stood still. Celine caught up and looked up and down Beast Boy's home. To her right he was smiling.

"You live in a Sequoia tree?" Celine finally asked.

"Just the base." Beast Boy replied as if that made the condition any less unusual. Beast Boy waved her in, the threesome closed the final feet to the door that lead into the expanse of Beast Boy's childhood. He opened the door, rushing in; his green eyes darted against the walls, observing nothing that wasn't the woman he was looking for. Celine did see; she saw every inch of the love and dedication that had built this house: the small collection of African dolls; the arrangement of carvings from wood and clay; the expanse of books that loomed in bookshelves. At another time Celine would have sat down and started reading any title she hadn't been able to get her hands on. However the time called for her to put her bag down and follow Beast Boy's steps until they found his mother. It had only taken a few seconds before their feet stopped at the boundary of the kitchen when Beast Boy stood perfectly still.

She was beautiful and if Celine didn't know any better she'd think that Beast Boy favored² her. Sinora Logan stood in her small kitchen snapping beans over the sink. Her profile faced the door way. Beast Boy watched her gentle hands move back and forth. Celine watched her face: her eyes, skin and hair were dark; her hair was like midnight, her skin like bronzed desert earth and her eyes compared to the calm shadows of an ending storm. Her figure was petite, her jaw square and she looked slightly too young to be the mother of a fifteen year old boy.

"Mom." Beast Boy finally whispered. Sinora turned her head, a smile taking over her face.

"Garfield, my love! What are you doing here?"

Her voice was gentle and from where Celine stood, her hands were soft as they hugged around the slightly taller Beast Boy. Beast Boy pressed his cheek against his mother's, an anxiety passing from his body.

"Mom. Mom, I was so worried." Beast Boy said as his mother's hands smoothed his back. Sinora pulled back, her gentle brown eyes held confusion.

"Sweetheart, why are you crying?"

Beast Boy reached up and indeed found tears. How could he tell her that until a few moments ago he had been more scared than he could remember? "I… I didn't get a letter from you this week… I thought something bad must have happened. You've never missed one before." Sinora took her apron and wiped away Beast Boy's tears.

"I sent you your letter, just like I always do, love. There must have been a delay in the mail. I'm sorry to have worried you, but I'm just fine Garfield."

Celine stepped forward, Loberos trotted deeper into the kitchen passing both Beast Boy and Sinora to lay down by the door. "He was very worried about you Ms. Logan, I'm glad to see you are alright."

Sinora smiled and let Beast Boy pull away. "You must be Celine."

"How did you know, Ms. Logan?" Celine asked.

"My son writes very detailed letters. And please call me Sinora."

"I couldn't… Sinora? Sinora Logan? You're **the** Sinora Logan?"

Sinora nodded.

Celine dashed to stand directly in front of her. Beast Boy's eyes widened at her haste and apparent excitedness. "But, Sinora Logan is the world's leading expert on Physiological Ecology and Molecular Phylogenetics! I'm a huge fan of your work! I've read all your papers."

"Oho? Well it is nice to know that someone reads my work." Beast Boy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Sinora smiled and petted the small of his back. "Garfield, I'm making dinner are you hungry?"

"Always!"

"Be a good boy and get some more firewood from the pile. You can tell me all about your latest adventures when we eat."

"Sinora, I'll do it… you and Beast Boy… Garfield should catch up." Celine offered.

"Don't worry about my son and I not having enough time together Celine, I already know everything whenever I look into his eyes."

Beast Boy grinned sheepishly and took off to get the firewood. Though her words didn't say much, they were enough to make it obvious that Sinora wanted Celine to stay.

"Is there anything I can help with? I'm a decent cook." Celine offered.

"I have plates in the shelf above your head, take some out please."

Celine pulled out the earthen molds. She laid them out gently on the small table and noticed there were only two chairs. Celine would have to find a stool if she wasn't going to have dinner standing up. Behind her she could hear Sinora snapping beans rhythmically.

"Beast Boy, er Garfield, didn't tell me who you were… I suppose its fitting." Celine said.

"I don't think he realizes that I'm an authority in anything beside this household." Sinora replied.

"It's a lovely home." Celine said gently.

"You care for Garfield?" Sinora said, not breaking the pace.

"Yes. He's a very good friend and I care for all my friends." Celine replied. She had a suspicion that Sinora was hinting at something else, but she was going to ignore it for as long as she let her.

"Oho? I'm glad to hear that…Why did **you** come?" Her voice was calm and non-threatening.

"Beast Boy was worried about you. If something had happened to you, I didn't want him to have no one to turn to."

"What about Cyborg and Terra?"

Celine stopped what she was doing. She honestly didn't know how to read the question. Sinora was like any mother she had ever met, except her own of course, she was righteously concerned about the heart and mind of her son. Inside it stung a little knowing that for Celine there was no worried parent to care for her.

"We all volunteered, but if you were okay we didn't want to be a crowd." It was a lie, but it was the most honest way to get around the truth.

Sinora nodded. Beast Boy returned and Sinora finished her preparations for dinner. The three sat and enjoyed the liveliest dinner Celine had ever witnessed. The way Beast Boy tossed out jokes, how Sinora's smile rested gently on her face whenever Beast Boy spoke. It was a comfortable place; Loberos rubbed his nozzle against Celine's knee, the soft touch kept her from feeling out of place. Beast Boy smiled and morphed into animals to add character to his conversation. Celine didn't pay much attention to the words, her eyes and ears could tell that this house was one of great love: it was what gave Beast Boy his gentle heart. Celine smiled gently to herself and looked out the window. The sun was beginning to fall over the horizon, stealing away much of the light. The atmosphere sunk into her; the Logans' happiness, the beautiful run of the horizon… Loberos licked her hand and automatically she rubbed his chin. The background laughter wasn't lost on her; the feeling of well being couldn't escape her.

…

"Are you sure this is okay?" Celine asked as she dropped her bag on the floor. Beast Boy stood in the doorway of his bedroom, taking in the sight of it.

"Yeah it's fine. I'm gonna stay in my mom's room. So you can stay in mine."

"Alright. I guess I'll see you in the morning." Celine said.

"Yeah… hey Celine… Thanks for coming with me."

"I'm very glad your mother is alright."

Beast Boy nodded and exited.

The light was beginning to disappear from the huge windows. Celine sat down on the bed: the mattress was soft beneath her and from the smell, the room had been tended to recently. Celine laid back, her body sinking into the bed. Loberos jumped on to the other side of the bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Celine fell asleep before he did.

In the other room Beast Boy laid on his side in the pioneer bed³. Above his bed his mother sat on her mattress, brushing out her hair. _How many times as a child did I do this? I can still remember looking up at her like this and thinking just how wonderful she is…_

Beast Boy closed his eyes and only opened them when he felt his mother kiss his forehead. His arms automatically reached up and hugged her gently about the shoulders. "Mom… if you ever one day don't get a letter from me… I want you to know I love you."

"I never doubt that." Sinora smiled and climbed back to her mattress. "Tomorrow I'll make your favorite lunch and you can show me all your new forms."

"You can see my Beast Within! It's totally different than anything you've ever seen!"

"It's you underneath it all, so I'll love it."

Beast Boy smiled. Sinora laid back on her mattress and in a few minutes Beast Boy knew she was asleep.

When the other Titans had come to collect Beast Boy as their fourth, it was obvious to all of them that Sinora had built his character. The warm woman had loved him the way that all children wished their parents loved them and because of it he had the dearest heart.

Listening to his mother's breathing, Beast Boy could feel his heart beat slowing down… in the drowsy moments before his eyes fell shut he thought about his friends in space: to his knowledge they were all orphans. He knew Cyborg and the princesses were for sure. From the way Speedy and Aqualad talked it didn't sound as if they had much to go home to. It was hard to tell with Robin and Sakura, their past lives was theirs and something they weren't willing to share. And from what they all knew about Raven, she never had real parents to begin with. It saddened him to think that in all of their uncertainties, none of them had a mother like he did to run to if only for a moment.

_Maybe that's why we all run to each other… to feel like there's someone always prepared to hold onto them… But what does that make me? _Beast Boy closed his eyes… _We're friends and family together and just as I'm a son to my mom… I'm a brother to the Titans… _He could return home in a few days without the anxiousness of losing his family… he was with his family; he was always close to kin.

…

D'ucel was an expert pilot but Cyborg was better. The mechanical Titan took control of the Tameranian space cruiser and bobbed and weaved it between the assaults. The Titans had rushed into the fray and watched laser beams stream and dance across and against the vessel. The ship rocked with each blast, even with Cyborg's skill, at the rate they were going, the space ship would be totaled before they even made it to the thicket of the blockage.

"Fly as close as you can… I am going to engage." D'ucel stated. The team turned to the blonde Tameranian. Aqualad could see concern in Blackfire's eyes, more so than in the eyes of the other Titans. He would have done the same if his body could endure outer space.

"That's dangerous." Speedy said steadying his feet as the ship rocked with another blast.

"If we are to make it to the Home World of Yinti, it must be done. Please protect my dear princesses. I shall be making the return."

The Titans could only watch as D'ucel escaped into space. Raven turned her eyes quickly past the faces of Aqualad, Star and Blackfire to Sakura.

"Use your energy to create a barrier around the ship." Raven commanded.

"We've never practiced one this big."

"I know. I want you to try. I believe you can."

Sakura nodded, her fingers generated their silver glow. The Titans watched through the window as a thin translucent magic formed a weak barrier around the vessel. Some attacks rebounded off of them, others shot right through.

"It needs to be stronger." Raven said. "Listen to me Sakura; remember what I taught you about your center?" Sakura nodded. Speedy stood behind the half-Japanese and held her shoulders to brace her when the ship rocked. Sakura flexed her fingers and the team could see the thin barrier become more solid in some areas. Speedy could feel Sakura's breathing, it was labored. He had noticed sometime ago that the use of her power exhausted her, unlike when Raven or Terra used theirs. Her body had to compensate for the use and so she used it as infrequently as possible. She trained to make it strong incase of need while her body demanded that she never used it at all.

"Sakura focus. This barrier won't hold us, it won't protect us. You must make it stronger."

Sakura nodded. The white waves evened out remaining still permeable but anything that got through barely fazed them. The clarity of the barrier allowed them to watch D'ucel fight; his Fox Shots¹ ripped through space shuttles, the ruined vessels made a trail that Cyborg navigated the ship through. D'ucel flew behind the craft for some distance, stopping any renegade attacks on their trail. Blackfire watched until she couldn't see the fighter any longer, her eyes moved to track him down. Her blue eyes watched for him on her own accord, just as her heart jumped when he touched her, when he spoke to her, when he looked as if to kiss her. She swallowed hard in uncertainty, her chest rising and falling deeply with every thought. _I had once loved him… does my body remember what my mind can not? Is it really memory? _... … …

Starfire blinked when the barrier disappeared suddenly. She turned from the window and watched Sakura collapse in Speedy's arms. She was conscious, but tired and Speedy held her close. A strong black barrier appeared where Sakura's once was. Terra and Robin watched Raven's hand extend to generate it.

"If you could do it, why did you make Sakura?" Terra asked.

"Because I believe she could. Trials of fire are always most telling… Sakura's heart can manage… now I believe she knows her mind can."

"You were testing her?" Terra asked her brows furrowed. "What if she had failed?"

"Raven has faith in our abilities Terra, just like we do in hers. You know that. We all have to believe in each other if we're ever going to get stronger… sometimes that takes pushing each other close and sometimes its pushing them out: we'll never get anywhere if we always stand still."

Terra heard Robin and did her best to remember every word. The cockpit door slid open marking the return of Foxfire. Immediately Blackfire turned to him but didn't say anything.

"Man that was some fighting Fox! I guess all Tameranians can kick butt."

It was apparent from the look on D'ucel's face that he was trying to remember when a butt was involved in his fighting. Aqualad shook his head. "It means he thinks you did a good job." He supplied. D'ucel had expected bitterness in his voice but only found a slight trace. In Aqualad's heart he felt something, something that nearly blinded D'ucel. The mix of devotion, gratitude, jealously and worry pooled from the black haired Titan in an unsteady pool. _My rival has a good heart… he could be a very good man… But we are rivals none the less. _

D'ucel stepped to the window. "We will reach planet side in a few more hours. Please rest."

The Titans minus Starfire and Cyborg listened and returned to the waiting arena. Cyborg noticed the worry in Star's eyes. He did his best to signal to her that he was tuning out and she was free to say whatever was on her mind. Star stepped forward to Tameran's champion, one hand braced over her heart.

"D'ucel hak drog bruk norb?" (What do you wish to accomplish?)

Cyborg snorted silently, keeping his eyes ahead of him. Starfire had tried to guarantee it was a private conversation, but she forgot that he knew perfect Tameranian⁴.

"I want Komand'r to remember."

"Do you believe you will have happiness with her?"

"Of course my princess! I love--"

"What of what is?" Starfire asked.

"I do not understand"

"You are a kind person D'ucel… I know that in your heart you mean no harm… but my sister is not as you remember her."

"It hurts me to think of what tragedy my Komand'r has endured… but we missed many years of our lives together… what matter is it if she can not remember her share?"

Starfire held her tongue. She did not know what to do. So many years ago her sister had been a different person. A person neither Aqualad nor D'ucel knew. She supposed that it was made the field level: what field, she did not know but it was probably not important. D'ucel held Blackfire's past, Aqualad held her present… they would all have to wait to see who held her future.

End of Part Five

A/N

¹Starbolts, Blackbolts, Bee Stings, Fox Shots

²Favored means "look like"

³Those beds that are really two beds, you see them in colonial-style movies where the parents and children sleep in the same room.

⁴Overdrive


	31. Remembersees Part Six

Remembersees

Part Six

ºflashbacksº

As far as Robin could discern, the people of Yinti were all males. Every single one of the alien life forms was distinctly male in shape and they all seemed to have the exact same face. Each of them was easily seven feet tall, their skin was something he likened to coral and they all wore white. They walked forward with the exact same stride, their lean frames shifting the exact same way at the exact same time. It was unnerving, but he pressed on with his team. As they walked deeper and deeper into the city, the Titans' leader couldn't help but notice that the path of the Yinti people seemed to part to stay clear of them.

"Blackfire, does any of this look familiar?" Robin asked.

"I remember it… but from the other direction."¹

The headquarters for the Grugdindorf was as massive a building as the Titans had expected, but much more empty. As the group of ten made their way deeper in the hollow chamber the only sounds they heard were the clicking of their heels against the clean floor. It took them nearly ten minutes to find another life form: he was standing behind a desk eyeing them as they approached.

D'ucel stepped forward and addressed the Yinti-man and within moments the much taller alien creature directed them to the Chamber of Memories.

"Name." The Yinti-man asked, his tone was unsteady as if he didn't speak the universal language often.

"Komand'r til Tameran Sixth." D'ucel provided.

"That name does not compute."

D'ucel furrowed his brow. Aqualad stepped forward. "How about Blackfire?"

"Match found."

The Yinti-man produced an access code and directed them to the aisle where they would find Blackfire's tape. The Titans searched up and down the column unable to find it. The Titans without flight searched the bottom of the massive column, while Star, Raven and D'ucel searched from above. Terra couldn't help but notice the hesitance on their faces: especially Blackfire. The pretty Tameranian hadn't taken flight to search; she wasn't looking on the ground either. She was standing there looking up ahead of her where D'ucel was flying, just about where Aqualad was standing.

Terra grew increasingly impatient and had all but decided to quit even looking for it. At least that was what Cyborg figured when she left the designated aisle. Cyborg's scan was useless against the stacks without knowing what to look for, it was going to be impossible to find. All the tapes looked exactly the same.

Terra found it by accident, on the bottom shelf in an aisle that wasn't where they were directed.

"This doesn't look like anything special. I could probably play this on my VCR." Terra said, flipping the tape between her hands. Behind her both Aqualad and D'ucel gawked at Terra's treatment of the future of their hearts.

"Well we've got it… now we just need to watch it." Cyborg said.

"Where do we go to do that?"

The Titans returned to the Yinti-man who directed them again to a room on the other end of the building. As the team walked, they barely noticed how cold it was getting: instead they continued to realize how empty the massive hall was. All the noise in the building was their own, but somewhere that had to be others; Yinti-men or even tragedy-stricken individuals who were preparing for the Grugdindorf.

Robin slowed his pace, catching Raven's attention. They walked side by side, slowly putting a distance between them and the rest of the group.

"What is it?" Raven asked.

"I'm not sure. Something about this just doesn't feel right."

"How do you mean?" Raven asked.

"You would think that the headquarters for something as powerful as the Grugdindorf would be much better guarded. We've seen all of two Yintis since we got inside the building."

"You're right. That is strange. Maybe they have some sort of security protocol that we don't know about."

"Possibly… but something else doesn't piece together."

"The tape." Raven posited.

Robin nodded. "D'ucel said that only those who had the Grugdindorf could access the tape…"

"But the Yinti at the gate didn't ask for verification. But then again we were told the wrong whereabouts for the tape."

"Its like they want us to find it… but at the same time they don't." Robin rubbed his chin.

"It doesn't make sense."

"There's something we're not getting." Robin said. "I'm concerned."

"So am I, but for a different reason… I want to know what's on the tape… but I'm afraid it's going to show us something we're not going to like."

"At least one of us."

Raven nodded. They remained quiet for the rest of the walk.

…

Celine's eyes opened slowly, the light from the sun was pouring across her face. _Sunlight? I went to bed at eleven PM…_ Celine raised her wrist watch. She sat up startled.

"It's noon! How did I sleep that long?"

Celine pulled herself from bed, barely noticing Loberos wasn't beside her. She changed into a fresh outfit and cleaned herself in haste. She was shrugging on her jacket when she opened the door into the living room.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to over sleep." Celine's brown eyes took in the area in front of her and realized something: she was talking to no one. The house wasn't so large as to miss the presence of others in it; Celine could turn a full circle and see everything there was. None of the doors were closed, not even the bedrooms. Celine stepped forward to the entrance of Sinora's bedroom; she could see all three of them.

Loberos had taken to the bottom sleeve of the pioneer bed. He wasn't sleeping, but he looked rested. Celine usually noticed whenever Loberos left her side, but she had slept so deeply…_When was the last time I ever really slept? It's been years, hasn't it?_ Above Loberos, Sinora was still very much asleep. Her face showed her youth, though she had to be at least in her forties, she didn't look a day over twenty… especially with a green kitten curled under her arm. Celine smiled and shook her head as Beast Boy's paws stretched out and back.

_It must be so hard on him to have to wait until a scare of tragedy to communicate so closely with his mother. He is just a boy after all…_Celine went back to Beast Boy's room and stood in the center of it for a moment. To her right she could see all the things Garfield Logan had decorated his life with: drawings, carvings, few books and something that caught Celine's curiosity. Hanging from the wall was what looked like a strange flute. She pulled it down gently and brought the instrument to her lips, even though she had no clue how to play. With a short blow a soft note was produced, rebounded by an outburst of bubbles. Celine laughed behind her hand at the silly thing and watched the little spheres dance across the room, all heading for the wall. When the wind picked up her hair she realized the window was open.

Celine placed down the instrument just as she found it, letting her fingers trace along all the things that had made Beast Boy's childhood. Her boots barely clicked when she approached the window. She threw her arms out to catch the panes and pull them inside, but when her body was exposed to the cooling air, she couldn't just close them. The last traces of the sun were fading along the prairie land. She had never seen such shades of gold and gray before.

_Every night he went to bed to this. Even when the rain begins it's beautiful. _Celine rested her arms on the window sill and stopped seeing the horizon before her eyes. Instead she had remembered something Sinora had said to her when Beast Boy went to adjust his room so Celine could sleep in it.

ºSinora's story had been very amusing and both women were sure that Beast Boy's exit had more to do with the embarrassing nature of the story than wanting to make sure his room was habitable. Celine hid her laugh behind her hand, looking up at Sinora from her place on the floor. She smoothed her skirt across her boot brushing a bit of Loberos's fur from the fabric. Celine waited until Sinora turned her eyes to the door that Beast Boy disappeared to before raising her question.

"Sinora… if I may ask… was it difficult raising Beast Boy alone?"

Sinora shook her head in the negative. "Not for me." She stated brushing Loberos' fur as the blue haired beast rubbed at her ankles.

"I only ask because I was raised by my mother alone and it was very difficult for her." Celine supplied, only moderately surprised by her sudden openness.

"My heart goes to her… Raising my son has been the greatest joy in my life… my only regret is that because it was just he and I… Garfield had to grow up very quickly."

Celine did her best to suppress a sweat drop. _I didn't see anything like that…² º_

The red haired girl felt ashamed of herself for comparing her life to Beast Boy's. But in truth their circumstances were similar, both raised in the absence of a father, though Celine didn't brave to ask what had happened to Mr. Logan, but she had absolutely no doubt that it was nothing similar to what had become of her father: no, while they both were raised by their mothers, the outcomes of their lives were so different that it nearly brought Celine to tears. Beast Boy had grown up with warmth, love, happiness and beauty: Celine had brains, determination, obligation and Victor. It was Beast Boy's combination that gave him promise of a wonderful future, why they all loved Beast Boy so much, why none of them could ever bear to let him last one minute in self-doubt, pity or insecurity.

Some might have called it weak or self-dependent, but they were all wrong. Families, real families: unshaken and stable families had hearts that beated like Beast Boy's and they had tenders to make sure that that heartbeat never faded. Celine's day dream erupted with the might and whorl of thunder crashing along the sky. Just a few drops of rain struck her fingers before the red haired girl closed the window. Omicron sat down in the middle of the floor and got to work.

…

Blackfire's worry was on display. It seemed to Raven that Blackfire was worrying her lip behind the shield of her balled fingers. Starfire trailed closely behind her sister who stood between the proud shoulders of Tameran's Champion and the demigod of the Earth's waters. The halls were absolutely empty save the band of Titans.

In silence they came closer and closer to the center of the great hall of Returner Technology. It was halfway through the trek that they realized why there were not more Yinti-men attending the headquarters…

They were all laying in wait for an ambush.

Starfire gulped painfully before setting her face from shock to determination. In a line before the group of ten were dozens of Yinti armed with sophisticated energy rifles trained on the group.

"Halt." One of the Yinti commanded.

"What is this?" Cyborg asked.

"You are under arrest for your trespasses against this society." Another Yinti stated.

D'ucel stepped forward. "I do not understand. For many years the people of Yinti have called Tameran its allies."

"You're referring to the **wrong** society." This voice was different, deeper and mechanical. From behind the tall, armed Yinti, a shorter though no less threatening life form emerged. It was wrapped in black metallic garb, his face shielded by a massive helmet. On his right chest was a symbol that D'ucel recognized immediately.

"You are an Orcrixian Battle Hammer! By the Code of Conquer you are not permitted on this planet!"

"What do we care for your code? We found a welcome reception from the people of this planet for a year now. It would have been longer without the interference of the Troqs."

D'ucel and Starfire's hands took an angry glow at the use of the -T- word. A spark struck in Blackfire's head and she too brought her Tameranian might to her hands. The Titans behind them prepared for the battle that was sure to come… but the Battle Hammer didn't make to attack. His single eye blinked slowly behind his helmet, the pupil dancing around to take in the side of the three Tameranians.

"Is this your feeble counteraction Troqs? We have already made the Yinti Home World ours and the Yinti readily accepted our rule…But one of you already knew that… didn't you?"

The Battle Hammer's eye landed on Blackfire and bore at her. D'ucel and Aqualad turned to the pretty brunet, questions apparent in their faces.

"What does he mean Komand'r?"

Blackfire shook her head in the negative. She didn't know.

The Orcrixian seemed to laugh. "Is that it? Has your Sweep not worn off?"

"Sweep? What's a Sweep?" Aqualad demanded to know. Blackfire's brow furrowed as that pain in her head came and left again. She groaned gently and only Starfire was close enough to hear it. The red haired princess stepped closer to Blackfire unsure of her next move.

"A Sweep is Orcrixian technology similar to the Yinti's. It's a temporary mind wipe."

"Temporary?" Starfire narrowed her brow and felt Blackfire step backwards, their bodies brushing each other. Starfire's fingers steadied the older girl.

"You preformed a Sweep on Blackfire? When? Why? How?" Robin asked, just as Speedy and Sakura had done beside him, he had drawn his weapon. His bo-staff was clenched tightly, his arm dropped behind his back to spring forward at the first sign of an attack.

"It was a stroke of luck that the Princess Komand'r til Tameran Sixth stumbled in at the end of our silent conquering of the Yinti. For years our overtaking was prevented by the interference of the Troqs. The Orcrixian Battle Hammers sought retribution."

"What did you do to her?" Aqualad didn't have any water or oceanic allies to aid him, but the might of his fists and feet would be more than enough, in his eyes, to take down anyone of them that played a role in using Blackfire.

"The princess is our little messenger girl. We programmed her Sweep to last until this day, when her memories would flood back. She'd flee to Tameran to give the warning."

"Well your plan obviously didn't work! So what was the message?"

"To come… Just before the Sweep we told the Troq princess everything we were planning, to scare her so terribly that she'd run home at the first chance she got to warn all her people…"

"You were going to use her to set a trap for Tameran!" Robin stepped forward again, standing in line with D'ucel and Aqualad.

"We know all about her reputation amongst the other Troqs. The odds were best that they wouldn't trust her, but send fleets anyway…"

"Where you'd be waiting for them." Raven sneered.

"And if they did believe her?" Speedy's bolt was drawn taunt, ready to sing against the air.

"They would send their best fighters… where we'd be waiting for them to greatly outmatch their power."

"And what if Blackfire didn't go back to warn Tameran?" Cyborg asked, the blue glow was threatening; the heat wove sweat against Terra and Sakura's faces. Sakura's weapon was readied. Terra's fists were balled up: she had always wondering if she could control any land or if just the Earth. The confrontation that was brewing would definitely be informative.

"I believe you're in the perfect position to find out." The Orcrixian Battle Hammer turned to the Yinti behind him. "Attack. Leave none of them alive."

"Titans Go!"

The Titans' readied their powers and hurled them into the air.

End of Part Six

A/N

¹She remembers leaving not coming in. This makes sense, considering she had her mind Swept after walking in.

² Beast Boy grown up? Not from what we've seen.


	32. Remembersees Part Seven

Remembersees

Part Seven

"It is as I predicted. Her role is absolute." Washu turned to his cohort, staring down at the masked figure.

"We already knew that. What we didn't know was how to proceed." Slade replied, waving his eye from Washu to another set of eyes in the room. His eyes were dead, blank as a victim to murder: but alive in a way that only Washu could control. Slade turned his attention from the mind-manipulated boy when Washu's voice came again.

"Now we know without a doubt. We must act immediately to ensure that her condition remains appropriate for our goals."

Slade tilted his head. Washu could see from the angle that Slade was regarding more than one person at the moment. Between them swirling energy wrapped and danced around each other, some intertwined and some flexed and pushed against each other.

"Her energy is changing: the gold overlap is impending. She will be useless if we do not move forward." Washu said with more than a hint of annoyance.

Slade's head nodded up and down smoothly, his fingers drummed against his arms. From behind his back he retrieved a small envelope bearing his mark. He held it between his black clad fingers before tossing it the boy with dead eyes.

"This is the last measure before the initiation of our plan. Have your messenger boy deliver it: you know she'll do the rest."

Slade walked away leaving Washu and his messenger boy alone. Washu pointed a finger at the envelope and the boy retrieved it. The boy nodded at Washu's command and made his way with the engraved invitation.

…

The battle ground could not contain the passion of the fight. Laser beams and sonic cannons ripped through the air as arrows and a giant boomerang soared against the noise pollution. The Tameranian righteous fury, in green, purple and blue, bore through their enemies, crumbling walls and caking the ground with defeated foes.

The group of ten collapsed many of the Yinti arsenal, but as soon as one fell to the floor, two more emerged from the hidden fortresses of the Grugdindorf headquarters. Robin caught Raven, saving the mystic from slamming into a wall. He pulled a pair of exploding disks from his utility belt.

"Titans fall back!"

The barrage of energy kicked up enough smoke for them to make the beginnings of their escape. As the team pulled free from the building they realized that escape would take much more than running away.

Aqualad skidded to a stop, just feet outside the entrance to the building. The soles of their feet halted their forward moment, screeching against the pavement. One by one the Titans stopped beside him. Terra swallowed hard, her finger jutting out to count the individual bodies in the wall of opposition in front of them. She stopped counting when she couldn't figure out what came after a trillion.

"Umm… I think we're outnumbered." Terra said.

"Just get ready to rock their world… 'cause we're not staying here." Speedy replied.

"We need to clear a path to the ship." Cyborg posited.

"But the blockade!" Terra replied.

"They might have already begun their move to attack Tameran!"

"We must not allow them to proceed any further!" Starfire replied.

"These guys are blocking our way…"

D'ucel's eyes took their bright blue glow. "They shall not for much longer!"

"Titans! Go!"

The group of ten charged forward into battle: Robin, Sakura and Aqualad demonstrated their martial arts as Cyborg charged forward with brute strength; purple and green eye beams tore through the air; black storms of energy rained from the sky, pierced by thundering arrows.

Starfire flew in, grabbing Robin's arm, catapulting the Titans' leader into a cluster of foes and clearing his landing path with eye beams. Blackfire did the same with Terra: the blonde rolled sharply landing crouched on bended knee. Around the pair, Orcrixian Battle Hammers circled in closely. Robin threw freeze disks to the ground, unsteadying some of the approaching Battle Hammers. Terra raised her arm in a hooking uppercut, charging the land upwards, hurling dozens of them into the air.

"Nice work." Robin said.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

The Yinti and Battle Hammers waged back with clubbing blows, energy shields and energy blasts: through the air blue, green, purple, black and white energy waved to and fro, striking Titans and crumbling Yinti.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven's dark power tore a section of the Grugdindorf headquarters' wall free and slammed it into cowering Yinti. The ground shock and rumbled with the attack.

D'ucel reacted in time to throw himself in front of an attacking Battle Hammer intending to strike Blackfire when her back was turned. His feet steadied as he spread his arms wide to ensure none of the attack connected with Blackfire. Blackfire turned her head of her shoulder sharply when she felt D'ucel behind her. Her eyes took relief when a knock out arrow shrouded in dark energy knocked the charging foe off course, leaving them both unscathed. Blackfire took to the sky.

Robin and Sakura moved in parallel evasive back flips, their hands and feet touching down in nearly perfect unison. Their tumbles stopped and both of them set their feet.

"What do you say? Strike of the Flying Snake?" Sakura asked.

"No, Claws of the Iron Bear."

The two set their arms and dove forward, slamming their palms into a pair of Yinti-men. They gave each other a quick congratulatory high five before a laser beam ripped between their bodies and they were back into the fray.

It was Blackfire who saw the perforated wall of the Grugdindorf headquarters begin to shake and tumble above the head of a distracted Foxfire. With a short gasp, the Tameranian's eyes took on their purple glow as she dove in to hold the wall up. D'ucel knocked away his opponent just in time to feel the shadow of the falling building. He turned to brace himself when he saw Komand'r pushing the wall away. A wave of wellbeing shot through him in the display.

A thunderous Yinti-cannon exploded the wall under Blackfire's hand, throwing stone into her face and collapsing the brick to the ground. Starfire unleashed her own eye beams to reduce the size of the fragments. Raven dove in quickly; rescuing Blackfire from harm. On the ground, Aqualad charged forward and tackled D'ucel, clearing him from danger as well.

The blue eyed Tameranian stared in something of confusion. "You are helping me?" Foxfire asked.

"You may be my rival, but I'm still one of the good guys." Beneath their feet the earth began to shake and rumble.

"Laaa!" Terra raised both her arms above her head and tore a chasm into the alien soil, up heaving the Titans' enemies. A path cleared and a wave of Robin's hand directed them all to charge forward.

Cyborg leapt behind the control console and brought Foxfire's ship to life. The loading ramp slid shut after Aqualad climbed aboard. When he reached the cockpit he realized there were only eight aboard.

"Blackfire?"

From the window he could see Foxfire hurling Fox Shots with dead accuracy, knocking away all those who had followed their escape. Beneath the ship, Star and Blackfire lifted the vehicle with all their might, boosting the craft into the air. Starfire flew back to the ship while Blackfire hesitated for a moment before D'ucel too made an escape.

The Tameranian trio landed and the other Titans gathered around them.

"The Battle Hammer fleet is on the move." Cyborg shouted, watching the sonar readout.

"They are preparing to attack Tameran! We must return and warn the people!"

"No! We must stop them!" Starfire shouted.

D'ucel shook his head in the negative. "I can not defeat the entire fleet alone."

Starfire stepped forward, behind her Blackfire stepped forward as well. "You forget D'ucel, we are also warriors of Tameran."

Blackfire nodded in agreement. Foxfire's eyes wavered slightly as he looked down at her to meet her eyes. Aqualad stepped forward and put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Are you sure Blackfire?"

The Tameranian princess nodded. "This is for the good of my people… I wish to help as I can."

"Then please be careful." He touched the side of her face gently, drawing heat to the black-haired girl's face. She nodded.

"I'll keep a barrier around the ship, so don't worry about protecting us." Raven said.

"One of those things has got to be the hive ship: take it out and take out the threat to Tameran." Cyborg posited.

"Understood. Sister, Foxfire let us fight again for Tameran." Starfire flew into space. A few seconds later D'ucel followed, Blackfire left when he did. An ache throbbed in the pit of Aqualad's stomach. He turned to face the window and watched Star and Blackfire float side by side in the harshness of space. Their hands glowed as D'ucel's did above them. When Foxfire moved forward, so did the princesses.

…

"So explain again to me how this works." Beast Boy said as he watched Celine twist in the final screws for her device.

"It's an instantaneous transporter for non-living carbon based material. By placing an object in the center of the transporter, you can transmit it through space to another transporter."

"But where is the receiving transporter?"

"I'm going to set it up in your bedroom. This way you can send letters back and forth with your mother and never worry about delays in mail. We can't have you rushing home every time the postman screws up."

Sinora clapped her hands together. "That is wonderful!"

Beast Boy and Celine's bags were packed, though Celine's seemed infinitely lighter than when she had brought it. If Beast Boy stopped to think about it, he might have realized her intention all along.

"How did you ever think to do that?" Beast Boy asked.

"Its one of the few things that genius is always good for…" Celine stood up, smoothing out her grey skirt. "It won't be operational until we return to the tower…"

"But having it will give me some piece of mind." Beast Boy replied.

"Actually… that's not why I made it."

"What?"

"Don't concern yourself with the details… I do want you to have piece of mind… that's why I'm leaving Loberos here."

Celine bent down to pick up her kit and packed it into her bag. Beast Boy's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Celine? You're leaving Loberos here? He's like your best friend!"

"Don't be so dramatic. He's a very good friend and he's very dear to me… just like you are… If he stays here with Sinora, it will give you some piece of mind won't it?" Beast Boy nodded. "And I'm sure he'd be happier running through the prairies with Sinora than cooped up in the tower."

"I guess… but can you really do that?"

Loberos rose to his feet as if he had understood every word of Celine's statement. Celine bent down and looked straight into Loberos' grey eyes. She didn't say anything, just ran her hand over the rough fur of his snout. The beast licked her face once before moving over to lay by Sinora's feet. Sinora's face tightened a tiny bit as she watched Celine watch Loberos.

Celine stood up. "I just did." She finally replied. The red-haired super genius picked up her pack, slinging it over both her shoulders. "I'll meet you at the T-copter." Celine left the room, left the house without saying goodbyes. She didn't intend it to be the last time she saw them.

Sinora stepped forward as her son turned his head back to her. They had both watched the red haired girl's exit with something close to stupefaction. The worry wore off of Sinora's face, but lingered a little longer on Beast Boy's. Beast Boy stepped forward and hugged his mother.

"Take care of yourself mom. I know Loberos will guard you… but still…"

"You worry too much… it's bad for your digestion."

Beast Boy laughed, pulling back from Sinora. His green eyes were on the verge of tears as they made to say their goodbyes. Sinora wiped a tear from Beast Boy's green skin doing her best not to cry. She kissed his cheek and smoothed out the cloth over his left shoulder.

"Garfield, please… be sure that she is taken care of… I fear she has a very fragile heart."

Beast Boy nodded. "I'll make sure to let Cyborg know too."

Sinora's nod was hesitant, but Beast Boy didn't notice. He pulled his pack to his shoulders and left his mom to return to his home. Beast Boy couldn't think of anything to say to Celine when he sat down in the passenger seat of the T-copter. He could tell every time her fingers flickered that she was reaching for her companion that wasn't there. The brown eyed girl said nothing as she piloted them back across the Atlantic Ocean. After a few hours of silence, Beast Boy curled up in the copilot's seat and fell asleep.

…

The princesses followed their hero. Their great Tameranian might soared through the void of space, shooting devastating streams of energy into the hollow of their battle field. Ships blew up under their might; those that survived sent their counter attacks in rushing laser beams from sparking energy cannons. The trio spun and dodged, splitting up the burden. D'ucel's fists ripped through metal crafts as Starfire's eye beams shred through metal frames. Blackfire took the charge of a dashing craft, catching the vehicle. The pilot's eye widened in shock as the blue eyed girl sunk her fingers into the metal and used her grip to spin the craft around in a spin that would inspire a tornado. When Blackfire released it, the Battle Hammer ship careened through the void and collided with another craft exploding them both. The eruption ripped apart two neighboring ships.

The chain reaction gave all three of them a spark of an idea. As they flexed and dodged attacks, their power sent cascading ripples, one bolt devastating several Battle Hammers. The three moved in a frenzy of power and the Titans watched them from behind Raven's barrier. Aqualad was standing perfectly still; his dark eyes watched the way Blackfire battled; how she grabbed D'ucel and catapulted him forward to speed up his attacks; how she recovered quickly from Battle Hammer attacks. His eyes followed her closely and nearly every movement of hers that he captured, D'ucel was close: working with her, protecting her, proving his devotion… Speedy and Raven couldn't focus as closely on the battle as the other Titans were: their attention was divided between the warring Tameranians and the irresolute Atlantian watching the battle.

Speedy frowned as his best friend's eyes followed the battle. _He doesn't deserve this… he'd fight for her people too if he could… _Raven nodded her head, the same sentiments running through her mind. In the time Blackfire had been with the Titans, Aqualad had never been happier and as best as Raven judged, neither had Blackfire. Blackfire had become a dear friend to Raven: she had helped the girl with her training, talked to her over lunches, let the older girl brush out her hair, whispering this or that of what Aqualad had said to her or had meant to say. Raven saw vividly the way the black haired girl smiled when Aqualad stood close; that smile on her face, the smile on **his** face could allow Raven to look past what was a rocky introduction and onto a hopeful future… _Hopefully…_

The ships circled around the three fighters. The trio backed up tightly until their shoulders were nearly touching in their taut ring. Eyes echoed their righteous fury and six hands rose above three heads. Their powers mixed in a massive sphere of energy: the blues slid over the purples and greens until the energies ceased to be separate energies and formed one sparkling ball. The three fanned out: D'ucel stood with a princess on either side of him. Blackfire placed one hand on his left shoulder, Star with one on his right as D'ucel took over the control of their energy. With one downward swing the energy sphere soared through space and collided with a dozen ships: the echoing crashes igniting all the other ships. The trail of exploding ships fanned outwards in both directions from the hit: two flaming tails howled burning energy, consuming every Battle Hammer ship in its path. The two ends caught up with each other, meeting and crushing the last enemy ship in space.

The glow from their eyes dissipated as the last flames dwindled out against the might of space. Blackfire turned to D'ucel and smiled, her fingers squeezing his shoulder. D'ucel returned the smile, reaching his fingers to touch the side of her face. Starfire swallowed hard, slowly taking her fingers from D'ucel's shoulder and moving it to his wrist, her other hand did the same to Blackfire. It was Starfire's pull that lead them both back to the waiting Titans.

D'ucel assisted in guiding Starfire into the haul before jumping aboard himself. His arms reached up and gently guided Blackfire in by the waist. Raven swallowed hard, in her mind she didn't see Blackfire and D'ucel: she saw the moment similar to this one but the players changed. Instead of D'ucel and Blackfire, she saw herself and Robin: the way they moved together when Raven had become free of Trigon's will. That moment had been beautiful to her; but with the way Aqualad worried his fingers at his side, Raven could not see anything beautiful in this.

"That was amazing." Cyborg finally said, stepping forward. "I've never seen fighting like that before."

"We are very fortunate to have victory. We have saved Tameran from another terrible war." D'ucel replied.

Blackfire's brow tightened as a short pain jolted through her mind. _War?_ Aqualad noticed and behind D'ucel's back, Starfire saw as well. D'ucel turned his feet to address Blackfire.

"It is as I expected. We fight well together Komand'r, just as we were meant to."

Speedy stepped forward, drawing D'ucel's attention from Blackfire. "Hey Fox, do you know why those Battle Hammers were really planning to attack Tameran?"

"It has been a war that has waged for many years… we had thought we saw a resolution but the Battle Hammers are very proud and very resourceful… it was only a matter of time before they gathered their strength to fight again… Such a constant struggle… I understand Galfor's troubles."

_Gal…for? _Blackfire's headache surged through her head, causing the girl to grab the sides of her face. Her black hair flailed as she shook her head, trying to remove the pain. The girl gasped for breath, a terrible sweat ran down the side of her face. Her breath staggered and her body waved. The Titans froze helpless as Blackfire lost consciousness. Aqualad stepped forward, hoping to catch the girl before she hit the ground. Fingers secured the girl's body, but they were not Aqualad's.

"Sister!" Starfire called out as her fingers tightened around the slack girl in her arms. She had been closest to Blackfire when the older girl had collapsed. She stopped her fall, cradling her close and out of the range of both Foxfire and Aqualad. Starfire's eyes wavered as she watched her sister gain consciousness. The black haired girl sat up quickly, surprising them all.

"Galfor!" She yelled before collapsing back into another faint.

The Titans watched puzzled. Starfire stood, lifting her sister's body and taking it to rest on a bed. Without having to be told so, Cyborg set the ship's course to Tameran.

…

Beast Boy woke up, startled from his sleep. His eyes blinked open; his yawn widened his mouth to the size of a basketball. Celine unbuckled her seatbelt and made to exit the plane. It was like she hadn't noticed he was awake. Beast Boy's eyes focused and something became very obvious. They weren't at the tower. Beast Boy didn't have to shield his eyes when he emerged from the cooling T-copter. The sky was overcast and to his memory, Beast Boy couldn't remember seeing a landscape so depressing. The buildings were mostly grey, the water locked island floated dully in the water. Nothing seemed to be happening, even though there were people milling around. It took Beast Boy a minute to adjust his focus and find Celine walking away from the T-copter.

Beast Boy ran to catch up with her. "Celine? Where are we?"

"This is Brock County… It's where Cyborg and I are from."

"You lived here?"

"That depends on how you define lived." Celine replied.

Celine stopped walking, her grey boots rolled loosely under her weight. Beast Boy stopped as well. The brick building looked close to condemned.

"I hope no one lives here." Beast Boy said.

"No… and no one wants to. This house has a reputation." Celine's normally graceful steps were interrupted by the rocky pathway she took to the back of the house. Beast Boy pushed a fallen slab of paneling to clear his path. When he turned his eyes forward, he found what Celine had ventured to. The tall girl-genius stood in the backyard of the crumbling building and in the middle of a field of day lilies. Celine stood perfectly still as Beast Boy made his approach.

"No one's tended this place in four years… but the Day Lilies¹ never stop growing." Celine said.

Beast Boy knelt down by Celine's feet and stared at the grave marker just feet away from where they were standing. He brushed away some of the debris until he could discern a name.

"Elaina Keelin… who is she?"

"She's my mother."

Beast Boy frowned. "But your last name is Fletcher."

Celine nodded. "My parents weren't married… most of my life the majority of this town looked down on us because of it… I swear I hated this place and so did she… but she was so sick that we couldn't move… we couldn't afford to. We survived off what flowers my mother could sell, but eventually this town stopped caring for Day Lilies."

"You were trapped here?"

"Everyone is trapped here… most people just refuse to see it… This is only the second time I've been back here since I left… I know my mother didn't ever want to tie me to this place and I stay away just as much for myself as her wish…"

"Why did you come back?"

"I don't know."

Beast Boy didn't believe her, but he decided against pressing the issue.

"You still cry about her don't you?" Beast Boy asked.

Celine crouched down, ignoring the stains that built up on her skirt. Her fingers reached out and removed the rest of the debris that tangled up her mother's history. Beast Boy read the numbers marking the date of her birth and death. She wasn't thirty years old when she died.

"Her heart was weak." Celine supplied when she noticed his realization.

"She loved you."

"I know that."

"You didn't answer my question." Beast Boy said.

Celine sighed. "I gave up crying a long time ago, Beast Boy."

"Everyone needs to cry every once in a while."

Celine's finger nails scratched off the last bit of dust from her mother's grave. Her fingers lingered on the death date. Beast Boy noticed that today was the forth anniversary of Elaina Keelin's death.

Beast Boy saw Celine's fingers flinch; they were searching for Loberos on their own accord.

"With that kind of pain in your past… how do you stay hopeful?

"I don't know how much is hope and how much I fake… I can't say that it doesn't hurt when I remember her… but it hurts just as much to try to forget... Beast Boy, can you promise me something?"

"Of course."

"Whenever you feel scared… run to her with everything you've got."

"Celine, why did you make the transporter?"

"Every time you get a letter… or send a letter… it will be through something I made… just a little bit, I'll feel like..." Celine couldn't find her words.

"You know… the Titans are a family too. We don't have the same parents, but we're all related by our feelings… You can always run to us, Celine."

Celine sat in silence. Beast Boy turned into a timberwolf and brushed against Celine's side. It was automatic, the way Celine's fingers stroked the short stubble on the green furred animal. When she realized that the hair under her fingers wasn't Loberos, she nearly pulled back. Nearly. Her eyes were unsteady for a moment, before she smiled weakly.

"I enjoy nothing more than being a part of our family."

…

Aqualad gently pressed the cool cloth against Blackfire's head. The girl had been asleep for nearly an hour, her body resting from whatever it was that had happened to her. Aqualad sat in uncertainty. His worry was nearly blinding D'ucel.

Starfire stood in her own state of worry. Her sister was obviously in pain from the fever that held her body. Star turned to Foxfire.

"Previously you had made the mention of Galfor and his troubles. Of what troubles do you speak?"

"My princess, for many months the Battle Hammers have made attacks on allies of Tameran. The grand ruler has deployed many of Tameran's great fighters to aid… The stress of battle brought him to his deathbed."

"Deathbed! Why was I not informed?"

"It has been half a blaxrig since he took ill. It is very unusual that you were not contacted."

"I have never encountered problems communicating with Tameran previously…"

"Starfire, on your birthday… The tower was attacked… we lost communication for days." Aqualad supplied.

"Yes that is correct! D'ucel, do you remember when the spread of words occurred?"

"Yes, my princess. It was within days of your birth. Galfor's health was in the most dire of conditions… but he has been making the mends."

"Then that is why the Orcrixian fighters planned an attack. Galfor's ill health gave them much opportunity for unrestricted conquer." Starfire replied.

D'ucel nodded in agreement. "When I made the coming to home, Galfor was still in an unhealthy state."

"Blackfire's Sweep was preformed those months ago, not long after Starfire's birthday… do you think there is some connection?" Aqualad asked.

A short groan escaped Blackfire. Aqualad turned his attention back to her. Her eyes held open, though her face showed fatigue.

"Are you alright?" Aqualad asked.

Before the Tameranian princess could think to answer, Cyborg announced they had reached Tameran.

"Tameran… Home… I need to… Galfor… warn something…" Blackfire sat up. Aqualad and Starfire helped her to her feet.

"Komand'r, are you alright?"

"Something… Galfor… be ready… Galfor…" Aqualad caught the unsteady girl and pulled her to cradle her in his arms. Aqualad carried the girl to the exit dock. The rest of the Titans said nothing at the display.

"Galfor… please let me see… be… okay… please…"

"Is she still feverish?" Robin asked.

Starfire nodded.

"Attack… sorry… be… let me see… please… Galfor."

"She's doing what the Battle Hammer leader said she would. She's trying to get to Galfor to deliver her message." Raven stated.

"She's regaining her memory?"

"The Sweep must be wearing off." Speedy posited.

"Maybe if we can get her in to see Galfor… that will be enough to drive back all her memories."

The team nodded and underneath the cover of her body, Aqualad's fingers tightened slightly against her armor. _Uncover her memories… let her remember what she felt about him…With the return of her memory… will she learn to forget about me?_

Aqualad kept his shoulders tall as he carried his precious burden towards the towering palace of Tameran where Blackfire would see her homeland and remember… _She will act to bring love to her heart… isn't that what is really important?_

D'ucel nearly stumbled when the wave of sadness Aqualad emitted crashed into him. Foxfire took to the air above his Komand'r and his rival's head. To his right, Starfire had taken to the sky as well. While she couldn't feel Aqualad's uncertainty as D'ucel did, she could see it. All the Titans could see it and they all could see Aqualad marching forward bravely into something that could take away Blackfire's heart… and give it to someone else.

End of Part Seven

A/N

¹ Reference to Say Your Name Chapter Two


	33. Remembersees Part Eight

Remembersees

Part Eight

There was no one there to watch his approach; no one to witness the vast nothingness lying behind his eyes. Against the rising sun, his golden headband reflected the light, throwing shadows along the beach. His steps were mechanical, his actions were mechanical: but he was not. He reached Titans' tower, his mission held in his hand. His pink, hollow eyes did not blink when he laid Slade's symbol the entrance of the tower. Without a word, without thought, the messenger turned his back to the tower and fazed through the air, disappearing without witness.

…

The great hall of Tameran was more massive than Cyborg remembered. The arching grays were as he pictured them in his memory, but some how the might of them was lost. Blackfire gently extracted herself from Aqualad's hold. She walked unsteadily, bits and flashes of her memories rushed back. She could see herself, as a little girl flying haphazardly, holding her sister's hand as they tried to avoid their nap. She could feel the way her Dress of Engagement had felt against her skin… how the Gown of Mourning had hung heavily on her shoulders. A grave marker, another marker… the funeral fires… But she did not recall everything… not at that moment, not until she saw him.

Galfor sat in his mighty throne, his massive shoulders arched back as he sat proudly. He saw his princesses, his beautiful Koriand'r and his troubled Komand'r, walking forward together as he hadn't seen them do in years. Blackfire's eyes raised and in that moment, his green eyes met her blue ones. The girl gasped, taking in his face.

"Galfor!" The black haired girl took off in flight, speeding towards him. Halfway to her destination, Tameranian guards blocked her path.

"Komand'r you are banished from the Planet of Tameran!" One guard said.

"You must leave immediately! So is the will of the Grand Ruler." The other added.

"No! You have to let me see him!"

"Komand'r, you must leave or we will be forced to remove you."

"You shall do no such thing!" Starfire said, flying forward.

"Princess Koriand'r!" Both guards kneeled in respect for the princess.

"You will let her pass." Starfire commanded.

The guards parted and without a word Blackfire took flight again. Within seconds she floated in front of Galfor. Galfor's green eyes regarded her, in her face he could see the smart and ambitious child he had cared for. In his face, Blackfire could see the strain of war… the strain of a broken heart. Tears welled in the girl's eyes.

"Komand'r." Galfor said calmly. "Throck hasn throup nord?"

Komand'r burst into tears. The Titans had never seen such a pitiful cry. The black haired girl leapt forward, burying her face into Galfor's broad shoulders. Her arms couldn't wrap all the way around him, but she tried, uncaring of embarrassment.

Between Blackfire's sobs Starfire could catch her sister's words. "Vord padar paav udug paragg!"

Raven stepped closer to Starfire and put a hand on her shoulder. "She's speaking Tameranian… her memory must be back."

Starfire nodded in agreement.

"What were they saying?" Sakura asked.

"Galfor has asked Komand'r what she has to say for herself." D'ucel replied.

"All that my sister has been able to say in reply is that she is sorry… she is very, very sorry."

…

The ailing Galfor sat in his throne in a court with the Titans. Komand'r was still rubbing the tears from her eyes from her place at his feet. Beside her, Starfire braced her sister's shoulders. On the opposite side of Galfor, D'ucel stood waiting for the words of his grand ruler. Robin had remembered Galfor vividly; how proud the man had stood, the power he commanded by simply loving his people. Starfire had believed that the best ruler of Tameran was the man who had raised her from a small child… though his age and the grievous nature of battle had seemed to begin taking its toll on Galfor, Robin could see that the love for his people remained undisturbed.

"It is the will of the Grand Ruler that the charges made against Princess Komand'r til Tameran Sixth be hereby removed from our history. Komand'r is restored within line of succession, second from the crown after Princess Koriand'r." His words were labored but lacked no authority, the scribes of the court jotted down Galfor's dictations.

"It is the rule of Galfor; it shall be known that the people of Tameran may rejoice in the return of its princesses." D'ucel said, his voice traveling through the grand hall. "Let us celebrate in festival!"

"That is more kindness than I deserve… much more than I can accept." Blackfire whispered, standing up. Starfire watched her sister move away from her, turning her back to the Titans. In Blackfire's line of vision were only Galfor, Star and D'ucel.

"Galfor… I can not accept your generosity… I do not deserve to have my title returned. I have denobled the crown of Tameran… I will gladly accept your will to reinstate me as a citizen of our home… but for the best interest of Tameran… I will not bring opportunity for my rule again."

"Sister? What are you saying?" Star asked.

"When I learned of Galfor's ailing… I returned to Tameran hoping that the rumors were not true… to think of Galfor on his deathbed brought me great sadness… But when I returned, just as what happened earlier, I was refused entrance… even in my desperation to see him, I was turned away…"

Galfor nodded. He had been told that Blackfire had made a return when he was ailing. Blackfire continued. "I pleaded and tried to fight my way in… but in the years where I was selfish… I had failed to train myself for such an emotional fight… I was defeated… As I turned away… one of the guardsmen yelled to me: 'As long as you are the Komand'r who would turn over the people of Tameran for her own gain, you are not permitted to return.'"

Starfire's eyes widened. "You had the Grugdindorf performed… so you would not be yourself anymore?"

Blackfire nodded. The Titans stepped forward; something about this seemed a bit extreme.

"Blackfire, you erased your memory to get to see Galfor? But when we had seen you last… you didn't seem to care at all about Galfor… what happened?" Robin asked.

"It was not what happened recently… it is the tragedy of my childhood that brought me to the Yinti."

"Does this have to do with me?" D'ucel asked.

Blackfire gave no answer and for the Titans that wasn't good enough.

"Explain this to us… from what we know, this doesn't add up."

Blackfire nodded. "I am afraid my sister did not tell you the whole of the truths… mostly because she was too young to know them… Until I was four years old, I was the only daughter til Tameran. The people sang praises for their princess Komand'r for I resembled our great king: my father's eyes and smile and even his hair… I was… happy as a child and became even happier when I was told I was given a sister… until she arrived."

It almost surprised Raven that there was no bitterness in Blackfire's voice and when her eyes turned to Star, the green eyed Tameranian didn't seem hurt by Blackfire's statement. Galfor sat forward, his arms pressed against the rests. "Our queen died in child labor." Galfor clarified. "For many months all of Tameran mourned… especially our king."

"As just a little girl there was nothing I could do except grow up… and have little Koriand'r walk out from my shadow…We were raised and trained by both our father and Galfor. Under their eyes we became the beginnings of great warriors of Tameran and at the time when I spared, I always won. No matter who I fought, outside of father and Galfor, I was victorious… until I fought D'ucel."

"When I was twelve and Komand'r was ten, I was brought before the king to train to be a warrior for the princesses. When we fought for the first time, there was an immediate connection."

"We became very close and when the year came that I would be married, it was my father's will that selected D'ucel as my husband… and I readily accepted."

This part Aqualad knew already, but hearing it come from Blackfire's mouth stung his heart in a way he had not prepared for. Speedy put his hand on Aqualad's shoulder; the other Titan turned his head towards the ground.

"As my sister told you before, a war between the Yinti and the Battle Hammers broke in the months following our engagement. My father sent forth his best warriors to aid our friends… while I and the people of Tameran waited anxiously for our warriors return…" Blackfire sniffed pathetically, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"The king became ill. The stress of battle left him in a weakened state… he died." Galfor added. "Tameran mourned greatly."

"In his last hours… my father made a promise to both my sister and I to give us his kindness… but he wished to see Starfire first… my sister has the beauty of our mother… he wanted to see her one last time on Tameran, before he joined her in the Elysian fields." Blackfire swallowed hard. "He died before I had my last chance to speak with him."

Sakura bit her lip. Beside her, Robin clenched his fingers. Starfire's eyes tightened, fighting back her tears. _Sister… is that why you have resented me so?_

"After my father's death… the chancellor called back all our warriors… many of them returned… and I was told that D'ucel would not…"

"Komand'r…"

"I mourned in Galfor's arms for weeks… and while I cried… suitors began to call and my sister's beauty reminded Tameran of our mother… She became the light of Tameran… but I could not move on… not nearly as readily as my people… their lives moved on without thought to my heart or of D'ucel. When I would look out amongst them during their festivals and games for finding a mate for Starfire… I felt as if all of Tameran had betrayed me. Tameran didn't care about me. My heart could not handle it…"

"Sister, please say no more."

Blackfire shook her head, realizing that she was crying again. She wiped her tears away but didn't stop her story. She couldn't bear to be the only one who knew all of it. "Galfor begged me not to let the pain conquer me, but I did. I did not even try to stop it. My jealously built hatred and I let it control all my actions… I threw my heart away and took to thieving, hurting others as I felt they had hurt me. In my mind I took a code: the only way not to hurt was to hurt others first and be as strong as possible… So I trained and fought and began to despise my sister as the days for her engagement approached."

"This I recall sister. You came to my room and I tried to console you… only to find you inconsolable. My sister left with much of the fury and I pondered long her suffering… eventually I left Tameran also."

"I did stupid things, terrible things that I will not attempt to justify. I hurt my sister, I hurt Tameran and I hurt Galfor and maybe truly in my heart I didn't care… until I heard Galfor was dying. My memory wounded me; the pain in my heart overwhelmed me… Galfor was the only person who I believed never hurt me: he mourned with me, he stood strong for me to lean against and his only trespass against me was loving Starfire as much as he did me…"

"So you returned to Tameran because you couldn't let Galfor die without you seeing him?" Raven asked.

Blackfire nodded. "I wish I could say that at the time: who I am hated who I had been… but when I heard… I did not think about me, I did not think about Tameran: all I cared about was seeing Galfor."

Blackfire turned to Galfor and laid her smaller hand in his. The older Tameranian ruler did not smile, but Star and Blackfire both could see that there was still love for the girl in his eyes.

"Your returned health is a great relief… I wish you many more years." Blackfire said, pulling her hand from his gently. Galfor nodded and to most of the Titans it appeared that Blackfire had made her peace. The rest of the Titans caught on when Blackfire turned to walk away.

"Komand'r will you not stay?" D'ucel asked.

"Tameran is the home of my people… but it is not my home… my home is Earth… with my friends… if they'll have me."

Robin, Raven and Starfire all stepped forward at the same time. Raven nodded her head gently to Robin, who reached behind his back. Blackfire waited with her hand balled at her chest. Robin handed her something, his masked eyes watched her take it from his hands. It was a Titan's communicator. Blackfire stared down at the device.

"Wait a minute! If Blackfire wanted to come back to Tameran, how did she end up on Earth?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah… you could've come back to Tameran but you didn't." Terra added.

"It was the plan of the Battle Hammers not to give Blackfire her key: with no memory, she wouldn't ever know she didn't have it… with no direction she ended up on Earth… and luckily we found her." Raven replied.

Aqualad took a few hesitant steps forward, his movement drawing Blackfire's eyes from the communicator in her hand. Aqualad could barely see that her eyes were shaking; it was hard to see anything when his eyes were shaking.

"But," Terra interjected. "What about her tape?"

"What about it?" Robin asked.

"Aren't we going to watch it? We went through a lot of work to get it." The blonde girl asked.

"I don't see the need. Blackfire told us everything. Tameran is safe, our friend is well; things do not need to be complicated with more memories of tragedy." Raven replied.

And that was enough for Terra.

"But," Blackfire began, clenching the yellow device in her hand. "With my memory returned… does this not change us… our friendship? You were able to befriend me when I was unable to remember that I was not your friend to begin with… doesn't memory come with loss?"

Aqualad stepped forward again, not stopping until he could put a firm hand on Blackfire's shoulder. His dark eyes stared into hers, a small smile on his lips. "Do you still remember us as your friends?"

Blackfire's laugh was short and breathy, the exhale held the high note of happiness. "Most fondly." She replied.

"Then why does anything need to change?"

Blackfire collapsed into tears. Raven and Aqualad dropped to their knees beside her. Raven pushed a lock of Blackfire's hair behind her ear as Aqualad braced the girl's trembling shoulders with both arms. Blackfire's tears stopped, her grip eased on the communicator in her hands.

"You are… still my friend Raven?"

"Of course… our past life has many consequences… its something we all have to live with forever… I won't hold heart break against you." Blackfire smiled weakly. That wasn't enough for Raven. "And besides, no one writes dark poetry like you."

The two long haired girls laughed. And that was the end for her.

Aqualad smiled, happy to hear laughter from Blackfire. The pair helped Blackfire return to her feet.

"I have not written poetry in a long time." Blackfire responded with a smile.

"Yes you have," Raven said "it's written all over Aqualad's face."

Aqualad and Blackfire blushed furiously, turning their heads away from each other. Robin laughed and stepped in closer to the group, his arm casually fell against the curve of Raven's hip. "Titans… lets go home."

All nine Titans nodded in agreement. Side by side Blackfire and Aqualad made to walk back to the space craft; Aqualad's fingers flexed and flinched nervously, with all his courage his slender fingers reached out to take Blackfire's hand when all the steps of the Titans were halted. His eyes were pulsing with his energy as his hands echoed the grand blue power of his emotions. The Titans stopped and stared at Foxfire, floating above them: his face was stone; he looked absolutely void of emotion.

"Lad of Aqua! I challenge you to a duel for the hand of Komand'r!"

Seven Titans grimaced. Blackfire blinked doeishly and Aqualad's eyes widened to saucers.

"Didn't see that one coming." Speedy said, breaking the silence.

"I am the promised suitor of Komand'r and with her memory returned all that prevents our reunion is your claim on her. As a warrior of Tameran, I shall defeat you to prove my worthiness to be Komand'r's life partner!"

The Titans looked between D'ucel and Aqualad nervously.

"Now that Blackfire has her memory back, shouldn't she choose who she wants?" Raven asked.

"We are rivals for the hand of Komand'r and it is custom to settle our rivalry in war."

"It's not right and definitely isn't fair. Aqualad… you don't have to accept that." Robin said.

"I am afraid he does," Starfire stated, frowning deeply. "Under Tameranian rule, when two suitors act for the hand of a woman, they most duel if there is a challenge. If Aqualad does not accept than D'ucel is the victor."

"So he has to fight for her…" Speedy said, turning his eye to his best friend.

Blackfire's gaze shifted nervously between Aqualad and D'ucel. Her eyes widened as Aqualad stepped forward, his shoulders thrown back as he stared up at D'ucel.

"Under all conditions…" Aqualad began, his voice strong and calm. "I accept your challenge."

Galfor stood from his chair, setting the scribes to a panic as they rushed to record all that was happening. "Then it shall be so! On two day's pass, after the celebration of the Bructhrog, there will be a duel."

"What's a Bructhorg?"

"It's the Tameranian festival to honor the renewal of the year… It is tomorrow." Starfire replied.

"A festival? That means a party! Alright!"

Though Cyborg and Terra shared merriment for tomorrow… all the other Titans were much more concerned with the day after.

End of Part Eight


	34. Remembersees Part Nine

Remembersees

Part Nine

ºFlashbacksº

When Raven had been in Starfire's body, she had encountered a deep scar just above the parting curve of the Tameranian's backside. She hadn't thought much of it at the time: it surprised her that a girl as pretty as Star had any flaws, but being a skilled warrior, Raven supposed there was bound to be some mark of her training. However, now Raven assumed that the scar was not the result of any training, but probably the most brutal form of Blackfire's inconsolability.

Raven could not help but think of Starfire: in the guidelines of Tameranian Duel rules, Starfire would be one of the witnesses to the duel and as a witness, like the challengers and Blackfire herself, Star could not leave her room until the dawn of the duel. Raven sighed, she knew that Starfire loved to celebrate her planet's traditions and from the noise spurring beneath her window, Raven knew it was going to be a massive affair.

The other Titans would play the role of observers during the duel and were given Tameranian garb to identify them as such. The boys were given uniforms and the girls were given white dresses. Terra stepped from behind the changing screen, doing her best to adjust the outfit. The blonde looked out and saw that neither Sakura nor Raven had any problems holding up their dresses. Terra frowned.

"How come your dresses fit so well?" Terra asked.

Raven wrapped her cloak over her bare shoulders. The strapless white dresses held the Tameranian silver plating around the bust and the hem. Her blue cloak surprisingly highlighted her femininity. Sakura had taken down her pig tails and let her long hair fall over her left shoulder. Terra looked back and forth between the two; willing her chest and hips to hold up the dress. Raven and Sakura said nothing: they weren't putting their fingerprints on that train wreck.

The three girls had been placed in a single room and similarly so had Robin, Cyborg and Speedy. Blackfire was in her bedroom, Star was in her own. D'ucel and Aqualad were placed in a room together; Raven hoped that something terrible didn't come of that.

As it was, the girls were waiting for the boys to walk together through the festival. The music roared and cheers were flying through the window in a mad pace.

Terra let out an excited gasp when she finally adjusted the dress to fit. Where she had found so many safety pins would remain a mystery to Raven and Sakura. The material bunched and slumped, but apparently it was good enough for Terra. She gave herself a spin and when her skirts finally stopped waving the girls heard the knock on the door. Sakura brushed out the body of her dress before opening the door and nearly falling over laughing. Raven and Terra frowned, unsure of what had excited Sakura so. They stepped into the door way. Terra fell to the floor holding her sides in laughter and Raven did her best to stifle her laughter.

Speedy and Cyborg were standing in front of the door dressed in the garb presented to them for by the Tameranians. Speedy's handsome face was blushed a furious pink. His outfit consisted of a pharaoh style purple, nearly see-through skirt that didn't make it to his knees. His chest was bare except for the bottom curve of his battle plating. His bow was clenched in his arm and his arrow strap did nothing to cover his assets. While he didn't look bad by any means, he looked scandalized having so much of himself on display.

While Speedy's garb was minimal, Cyborg's was embarrassing. He was wearing a dress. It was broad enough in the shoulders, but no where else, the fabric clung to his parts, the clashing colors of his parts showed through the stretched material, for all the world he looked like he had fireflies blinking in his outfit. His legs were wrapped in purple tights that also weren't absolutely big enough. The best part, and by that Raven considered the most embarrassing part, was the purple sheik's cloth he wore over his head. He looked like he was going to conquer great plains… in search of a better outfit.

Cyborg tapped his foot at the laughing girls while Speedy tried to avert his attention elsewhere. Sakura composed herself and Raven stopped laughing all together. Behind them, they could hear Terra pulling herself together. The blonde wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh man, that was totally worth it." Terra said.

"Terra, should you really be laughing?" Cyborg asked pointing to Terra's ill fitting dress.

Terra narrowed her eyes. "What was that?"

"You heard me!"

The taller Titan leered down at the blond Geomancer while she met him glare for glare. The Titans could see anger radiating from both of them. Sakura whistled nervously, she wanted no part of the incoming fight. Raven didn't seem to notice.

"Where's Robin?" Raven asked.

"I'm right here."

Raven stepped into the hallway, following Robin's voice. Sakura, Terra and Cyborg followed her out. Terra frowned when she took a look at him. Robin was in his regular outfit.

"Where's your outfit?" Terra asked.

Robin presented a purple leotard, gloves and boots. "Yeah, I'm not putting that on."

"Good, you'd look like everyone else… when you were so obviously meant to stand out." Raven replied.

Robin gave the girl a short kiss on the mouth before taking in the sight of her. The white dress clung to her in all the right ways: highlighting where her body was hard in the good places and where it was soft in all the better ones.

"What are you blushing about little brother?" Sakura asked, her hands on her hips.

Robin jumped and turned his back to the group embarrassed. He rubbed his head nervously. There was no way he was going to tell the Titans that he was thinking about Raven **that** way… the way he had been thinking about her more and more. Seeing her just now, sleeping near her at night, feeling her lips on his, her breath on his neck… had inspired the most vivid of fantasies of giving himself to her; giving every ounce of himself to her.

Robin felt Raven weave her fingers in his hand. A short tug moved him forward and she lead him along for a few seconds before he could keep up on his own. She squeezed his hand tenderly. Robin blushed. _I really hope she wasn't reading my mind just now…_

Tameran knew how to celebrate. The festival built before the Tameranian Bructhrog was a frenzy of color music and excitement. All of Tameran knew of Blackfire's return and the duel that would take place: perhaps some of that excitement built the mood.

The Bructhorg celebration consisted of more light in more colors than Robin had ever seen. He walked side by side with Raven, every booth and table they passed offered great gifts and what the pair assumed was food. Speedy and Sakura weren't too far behind the pair and immediately behind them Cyborg and Terra were eating… **something** that Sakura just wasn't brave enough to attempt. Speedy's walk was stiff as if he was afraid that a swift wind would rip away his outfit.

"I don't see why you're so embarrassed! Your uniform is tight enough to show off everything that's uncovered now, so what's the big deal?"

"You're not being ogled by every redheaded alien in the area."

Sakura looked around. "Umm, yes I am." Speedy looked around as well, it was apparent that Sakura's tight dress was drawing as much attention to her as his bare skin was drawing to him.

"Let's face it Speedy. We're an attractive pair. So put your arm around my shoulder and let's enjoy the festival. Look over there! I think that's a game booth, lets win a prize!" Sakura said, grabbing Speedy's hand. Speedy let himself be dragged further into the festival. _Please let one of the prizes be a shirt… its cold out here…_

…

Aqualad's kicks were sharp and well controlled. His feet kept him agile as his shoulders swayed against his phantom opponent. His evasive back flips were tight, his parries were on point. His style was mixed, playing on his fluid motions and naturally lithe form. Cross punches, short jabs and swift backhands cut through the air. Aqualad breathed evenly, steadily, the sweat barely able to fall from his skin. He had learned long ago that unlike some Atlantians, he could not control very small volumes of water, like that found in sweat or in the atmosphere. He had seen some fighters take the sweat that escaped from their bodies and form tiny condensed spheres of water for both attack and counterattack.

Without that ability, Aqualad was completely dependent on his fighting on dry land. It was a handicap, one of which many Atlantians never encountered. Underwater he was as fierce as any fighter; his fist could turn pillars of earth into ruin, he could generate typhoons and great tsunamis, but against skilled fighters that wouldn't be enough. He had learned in his first round battle with Speedy that his power of the sea could be turned against him, especially if he was sloppy. In his upcoming battle, in a fight of such magnitude, he couldn't afford to be sloppy.

Aqualad's eye turned to the other occupant of the room. Foxfire sat in concentration, his eyes were ablaze with his righteous fury, but the rest of his body was still. His meditation looked fierce, just as Aqualad's training was. Aqualad had seen Foxfire fight, while he did make mistakes; they did not come often and most of the time he was quick to correct. He didn't have any handicaps, something that would set to two apart. If Aqualad took to being the better fighter on the ground, nothing would stop Foxfire from beating him from above: he'd only be able to dodge eye beams and Fox Shots for so long. D'ucel had an infinite arsenal; Aqualad only had so much energy.

_Don't think that like._ Aqualad told himself. _If you fight for her, with all the feelings you have for Blackfire… you can't lose!_ Aqualad stopped in mid-swing. His retracted his leg from midair and collapsed both legs beneath himself, sitting in a meditation squat. _Just because you win… doesn't mean she wants you more than she wants D'ucel… _He remembered sharply what Raven had said, that with her memory returned Blackfire should choose for herself… she could have… but she choose to allow the duel: she rested her future on a battle in Tameranian rule… _This maybe the will of Tameran… but is it best for Blackfire?_

…

Starfire could not help but feel lonely. As a witness to the duel, she could not partake in the festival of Bructhorg, which was one of her many favorites. In the expanse of her balcony, she could see the million points of light that ignited the Tameranian sky. The music shook the very floor beneath her, but she sadly could not find the rhythm.

_Tomorrow will be another event of great excitement… a daughter til Tameran will be given away…or perhaps taken would be a more appropriate word…_ Before joining the Titans on the planet Earth, the last time Star had spoken to her sister was the night the black haired girl had left Tameran. It was a moment that Starfire recalled vividly.

ºStarfire had been startled greatly twice that day. First, before training, Galfor had announced that the potential suitors for her hand had been narrowed down to three: Brodnor of Ugbrot, Virog the Gruptar and Norib of Ugbrot. Starfire had been very excited, she had been introduced to all of them and from what Galfor had spoken they would all make her excellent husbands.

The second time occurred when her sister entered her room without knocking. Though it was not terribly unusual for her sister to not knock, it was very unnerving to have Blackfire in her room, period. Starfire turned around, still holding her newest dress against her body. It was the Dress of Future Promise, the traditional dress worn when a woman was in court. Starfire kept her smile on her face, a happy blush against her cheeks as her sister approached.

"Sister, is it not wonderful? Galfor has said that my engagement is very near!"

Blackfire looked up and down at the younger Starfire. The twelve year old girl had never known their mother, but in Blackfire's eyes she could see what their mother must have looked like when she was preparing for engagement. Blackfire turned her head, a tear steadied in her eye. She would not let her little sister see it; that would force her to acknowledge the pain.

"Koriand'r." Blackfire said simply and Starfire froze in place. Koriand'r was the name only used in matters of great seriousness. Starfire had actually never heard Blackfire use that name. Star laid her dress onto her vanity and stepped forward to her sister.

"Sister… what is wrong?"

"Koriand'r nor vrod brug hog."

"What do you desire to know?"

"Grut heg doog tromf brugd brod?" (Can you truly be pleased to go along with this?)

"Why would I not be?---" Starfire bit her lip as Blackfire's head turned sharply to face her. It was the second time today that Blackfire's blue eyes were cold when they looked at her, just as they were when she had severely beaten Starfire in training; to the point where Galfor and other guards had been forced to stop the battle. Another engagement precession: nearly three years since the last engagement for a daughter til Tameran. As no one spoke of it, as everyone tried to forget it, and in that goal most were successful; it was for Blackfire that the news was most unbearable. While of those who mourned for Starfire's upcoming engagement, most were due to the fact that they were not of the lucky finalists. For Blackfire, the mourning came with the pain of memory, the pain that she kept close to her heart.

"Sister, is my engagement a pain to your memory?"

"It is a pain to all of me… especially for you." Blackfire responded.

"For me? Why should… I believe I can say that my marriage shall be a great joy to me…"

"I wish it to be so… but I cannot agree to give my promise."

Starfire's eyes widened. "Without your promise I can not wed!" It was Tameranian rule that the eldest of living kin must accept the promise to marriage. Usually it was the father who had such responsibility, but in the state of being orphans, that power befell to Blackfire.

"Sister you must reconsider!"

Still Blackfire said nothing. Starfire's eyes lit and for a moment she feared she might strike out at her sister. Blackfire did not seem worried; she seemed ready to match the fight.

"I wish that you do not do this! It is not just!" Star declared.

"What is not just is memory! Who will mourn for you if you lose your intended? Who will mourn him? Do you love him? Do you love Virog the Gruptar or Norib or Brodnor of Ugbrot?"

Star let the anger of injustice fall away from her eyes. Her face worried a frown. She had not thought forth to consider such a loss; though her sister's change in the character of her person should have prepared her for such a fight. Star had hoped that Blackfire would be glad for her, that there was no war that her suitor would have to battle in and that simply a gauntlet would be necessary to prove his worth. But instead, there was pain, true pain that Blackfire hid: what the black haired girl truly felt was locked away in her heart, while she let anger and discontent rampage the country. Galfor had hoped that a calm would return to Blackfire's heart, that the responsibilities of being future Grand Ruler would curve her new nature… he was wrong.

Blackfire stared down at her sister and watched her green eyes shake hesitantly as the red head carefully considered her next words.

"Wog brughon hyok pbupm toug loat wromp noq ingtof." (I follow the will of our father, to marry before Tameran as he did and all before him did.)

Blackfire's eyes took their purple glow and raised a hand encircled by her blackbolt. Starfire could see terrible rage in her eyes, but that hand remained steady and did not attack. Starfire did not step down. After a few seconds, Blackfire dropped her hand. Her words were slow and threatening, they would be burned forever into Starfire's heart.

"If you desire to marry, truly desire to do this… I will not stand in your way… but know this little sister: As long as you are bound to this thoughtless custom, I can not see you with fond eyes… You will always be my sister, but only in the eyes of the universe."

That was the last thing Blackfire said before she fled from Tameran… out of Starfire's life… if only for the moment.º

Starfire never told Galfor the true reason why she left Tameran. She could not come to break the great man's heart. Galfor had made the final decision on who would be Starfire's groom. He had been very proud of his decision and Starfire would rather eat Tordizian Flecnards than hurt Galfor's feelings. She told Galfor that she wished to become a great warrior for Tameran by training in conditions most challenging and Galfor accepted under the terms that she returned when she was summoned. When she first touched down on Earth, she was informed that Norib of Ugbrot was given a funeral precession not days after she had encountered what the beginnings of the Teen Titans. Blackfire's words of warning had not occurred to her at that moment, all she could think about was that if for a while, Tameran would not be prepared to offer her a new suitor… which had saddened and elated her: she had seen tragedy on Tameran and seen wonderful potential on Earth with Robin…

Starfire dropped her chin to her folded arms, her eyes no longer taking in the landscape of her beloved Tameran. Perhaps beneath her balcony, her friends were enjoying the pleasure of each other's company as the great celebration of Tameran lit up before them. _I hope Friend Speedy and Friend Sakura enjoy the great games of challenge and Friend Cyborg must observe the Clorgmugs or he will miss the Zibbrahiens and that will be a great loss… Friend Robin and Friend Raven must…… …_

What had never occurred to Starfire was that she had the potential for loss. All her life, things had worked out well because she was a good person and cared very much for her friends and family. Many times her good nature was rewarded with great friendships and other times her good nature was punished by the manipulation of her sister and the crushing of her most personal relationship.

_I am in love… but that love is not returned… I am not what Robin holds most dear to his heart any longer… that is a place that Raven knows and I do not…_ Starfire did not blame Raven or Robin, Blackfire or even herself for the change that had occurred in her relationship with Robin. She aware of the Earth saying that time was in the condition of change. Life stepped forward whether she was ready or not and like most people she was forced to become ready ahead of her desired schedule. When Starfire watched Robin and Raven together, she knew in her mind that she should be happy for them.

The pain in her heart made those thoughts difficult to accept. When she had first seen Robin and Raven hold hands, she had to leave the room. When they hugged, Starfire could not regain her appetite and when she first saw them kiss, she had lost her ability to fly for three days. She knew that her friends were not being cruel, that they were aware of her feelings, but discretion was not their strong suit. Robin hung on Raven's every word and Raven always lingered in Robin's touch. The happiness Starfire saw in their moments together reminded Starfire of how D'ucel and her sister had been very long ago. As a little girl, she had not appreciated the sensitivity and devotion, but now after suffering the loss of someone she loved, she understood why D'ucel had made his challenge for Blackfire.

Starfire briefly wondered if D'ucel could feel her sadness radiating from her at that moment. She hoped he did not, for such a powerful sadness would influence his abilities and she believed with no hesitation that D'ucel should be able to battle to his best means without the hindrance of her woe.

…

"It's beautiful." Raven whispered. Robin was too far away to hear her and in truth she was talking more to herself than to Robin. In front of the mystic's eyes was a glimmering music box. The music it played was surprisingly gentle, as to not take away from the display of lights it produced. The colors rebounded off her purple irises painting soft blues and reds across her skin.

"You should buy it." Raven jumped nearly a foot when Robin's hand touched her shoulder. The empath's eyes widened then narrowed at the Boy Wonder, who seemed to be pleased with his ability to startle her.

"It's nice, but not practical." Raven replied.

"Since when do gifts need to be practical?" Robin asked. "I bought something with no purpose behind it, just because I wanted to give it to someone."

"Someone?" Raven asked. Robin nodded and began to walk away, knowing very well that she would follow him. "And who is this someone and what is this something?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Robin teased, turning his back to the clairvoyant, something hidden behind his back. Raven tried to look over the Titans' leader's shoulder, but Robin kept his treasure well out of her sight. Raven tried to walk around him and catch a glimpse but Robin's nimble movements allowed him to evade her grasp.

"It had better be for me or your sister; I won't have by boyfriend buying gifts for other girls."

Robin stopped and Raven's arms wrapped around his shoulders. Her chest pressed against his while her fingers traveled down his arms, upset to find that they were too short to reach whatever was in his hands. She pouted then realized that Robin's heartbeat was rapidly increasing. She pulled back and looked him into his masked eyes.

"Robin, what's the matter?" Raven asked.

"That's the first time you've said that."

"Said what?"

"You've never called me your boyfriend before."

"I have so."

"Not from where I've been able to hear." Robin replied, placing a hand on her hip. Raven smirked and stepped just out of his reach.

"I suppose you'll just have to stand closer to me from now on, neh Boy Blunder?"

Robin watched Raven walk away smoothly. Robin laughed to himself and took to follow her. Raven's path was interrupted by a pair of incredibly beefy Tameranian hands. Robin's eyes widened as the purple haired mystic was picked up and placed between the bodies of two massive Tameranian fighters.

"I saw her first she is mine!" The taller of the two fighters yelled.

"No! I saw her! She is mine!"

_They're fighting over me?_ Raven tried to back away from the arguing pair. She had slinked away all of two feet when the taller fighter grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" Raven yelled. Raven's fists beat against his back while her feet kicked pathetically.

The arguing aliens seemed to have the ability to ignore her. The shorter fighter stepped closer to the taller fighter, just out of range of Raven's kicking feet.

"I challenge you for her!"

"I accept your challenge!"

Raven blushed bright red. "Well I don't! Put me down!"

A freezing disk struck Raven's captor just under her head, icing him in place. The locked grip allowed Raven to shimmy from his grasp. Robin stood in his infinite coolness, another round of disks ready for action. Raven ran to him, taking cover behind the boy wonder. The shorter fighter sneered until the taller fighter freed himself from the disk's icicles. The pair looked down at Robin; there was a good three feet difference in their height and Robin's.

"Why do you interfere in our challenge?"

"If you want her, you'll have to beat me." Robin said.

"And who are you?" The shorter Tameranian asked.

"I'm her champion." Robin took a martial arts stance.

"Robin, don't do this! They don't have a claim on me. There's no reason to fight them. Let's just go."

Robin turned Raven, a cool smile on his face. "Why shouldn't I fight for my girlfriend? It's what all the other boys are doing." Raven blushed. Her momentary giddy allowed Robin to capture her by the waist and hoist her to sit on a shop booth. Her position would give her perfect position to see the fight. Robin handed her what appeared to be meat on a stick.

"Here, eat this and when I'm through here we'll return to the palace."

"Robin, I don't think this is food… I think its decoration." Raven replied eyeing the skewered brown meat.

"It can't be any worse than tofu eggs and bacon." Robin replied. Robin gave her a quick peck on the lips. "For luck." He said, before turning to his challengers. Raven grinned sheepishly before taking a bite of the surprisingly delicious meat. She devoured the first one; the pleasant taste took her attention from Robin's fight. She could hear the grunts and groans of Robin's victims, but she didn't focus on it. Raven chewed merrily on the meat stick, natural reaction was the only thing that protected Raven when a red headed body was thrown at the meat stand where she was sitting. The black barrier went up as Raven chewed, the tall Tameranian fighter bounced off of it, crashing into another stand without Raven even noticing.

Robin dusted his hands off as the fight was called in his favor. He walked up to Raven and noticed the discarded skewers thrown haphazardly at her feet. "So, did your champion's victory satisfy you?" Robin asked, leaning against the booth. Raven said nothing; instead, she munched on her skewer, pushing another one under his nose.

"Are they **that** good?" Raven nodded and finished her skewer, licking her fingers contentedly. Robin eyed it for a moment before taking a bite. The flavor was better than anything he had ever tasted before. Starfire had often prepared her Tameranian cuisine for the Titans, but never anything this good. After Raven ate her sixth and Robin finished his second, the Boy Wonder turned to the shop keeper.

"That was really good. What do you call it?"

"It's Tameranian Warkbrags. The meat of summer."

"The meat of summer?" Robin asked; his eyes opened painfully wide. Raven dropped her last finished skewer. Her stomach clenched and a great blush ran up her entire body.

"You don't mean…" Robin began, his eyes slowly moving to met Raven's gaze.

"Yes," The shopkeeper said. "It's our aphrodisiac. It is not unusual for champions to present their women with Warkbrags in their court… Congratulations and many pleasures."

Robin laughed nervously, one hand rubbing the back of his head. He finally dared to turn to look at Raven and was more than a little nervous at the feral lust he saw in her eyes. "Uh, Raven?"

Raven pounced. Her lips on his were like fire, her kiss was explosive and the Boy Wonder focused all his energy in not melting right there. Her hands tangled in his hair, her chest pressed against his and her toes clenched and flexed as they pushed to give her the height she needed to maintain contact with his lips. Robin held Raven's waist, tremors running down his entire body. His soft moan mingled with hers. His could barely feel his lips when Raven finally pulled back. That looked hadn't vanished from her eyes, but apparently the meat of summer wasn't an infinite hold.

"Robin, take me back to the palace." Raven whispered.

"Raven? Are you sure?"

"Yes, it will be dawn soon… and I would like to return to the palace with you."

Robin nodded. Nervously, he took Raven's hand and let her lead him through the throng of Tameranians back to the palace.

…

Dawn came and Aqualad was allowed to leave his temporary prison. The whole day he had spent with D'ucel and neither of them spoke. _At least not to each other_… Aqualad didn't turn back to look at Foxfire because he knew he'd remain locked in his training until the very few minutes just before the fight. Foxfire would clear his mind in solitude, Aqualad needed to find his friends.

Cyborg was charging in the room he shared with Speedy when the knock came. Speedy climbed out of his bed, careful not to disturb Sakura's sleep and answered the door. Aqualad caught just a peek of Sakura's form before Speedy closed the door behind him.

"Maybe this was a mistake…" Aqualad said, turning to return to the challengers' room.

"Hey, whoa, what are you talking about? What's going on Aqualad?"

"I needed to talk to someone, but I don't think you're the best guy to give me advice on this." Aqualad replied.

"Wait a minute! We're best friends aren't we?" Speedy asked. Aqualad nodded. "Then you can talk to me about anything regardless if it's my expertise or not. Just talking it out might make you feel better."

"I suppose." Aqualad replied.

"Hey! What's with that attitude? You know you can talk to me, when have I ever led you wrong?" Speedy asked. When Aqualad opened his mouth to rattle off instances, Speedy interrupted, "Hey! That's a rhetorical question; you're not supposed to answer that! Focus Aqualad… are you worried about the fight?"

"Yes… I'm worried about the outcome more specifically."

"Don't get yourself down like that! You can definitely beat Foxfire!"

"I know that. That's not what I'm concerned with…"

"I don't understand." Speedy stated honestly.

"I knew you wouldn't, that's why this was a mistake." Aqualad turned to walk away. He got all of ten feet when a net erupt from a well trained arrow. Aqualad tripped to the floor, struggling against his trap. Speedy stepped forward, spinning his bow expertly as he crotched beside his catch.

"If you're going to storm off like a wounded guppy, I'm going to treat you like a wounded guppy." Speedy's handsome smile would have made Aqualad furious if the tone in his voice already hadn't.

"Let me out!"

"Tell me what's wrong with you! This fight's got you worked up and I want to know why."

"You wouldn't understand!"

"Then make me understand!" Speedy sat down on the floor, his arms crossed over his chest as he regarded Aqualad. "If this isn't about losing, then what is this about?"

"It **is** about losing!" Speedy reeled back, his right eye narrowed. A quick swing of his bow cut opened the net and Aqualad squirmed free. Aqualad sighed and pushed the remaining cord from his lithe body. "It is about losing, but not the fight..." Aqualad continued as he pulled his legs in a fashion similar to Speedy's. "If I win, how do I know that's what Blackfire wants?"

"What?"

"If I win and Blackfire doesn't want me… I'll have to live the rest of my life with the regret of keeping two people who were meant to be together apart."

"Don't think that way Aqualad! You and Blackfire are crazy about each other. Everyone can see that."

"She doesn't love me."

"She said that?"

"No, of course not." Aqualad replied.

"Then what makes you say that?"

"Because she loves D'ucel. She said so, everyone said so. This whole planet knows about it."

"What does that matter?"

"Who am I to challenge something as epic as that?" Aqualad sighed.

"You're the one who loves Blackfire! Don't you?"

"Don't ask stupid questions."

"I'll ask them as long as you're acting like an idiot! You care about Blackfire. You probably care for her more than Foxfire does. Just because Foxfire loved Blackfire first, doesn't mean he loves her best. You can't walk away from the best thing that ever happened to you! I won't let you."

Aqualad turned his head. "I don't want to let her go Speedy. That's the last thing I want. But if she wants to let me go, I can't force her to keep me."

"Why are you so sure that she wants to let you go?"

Aqualad reeled as if hit. It occurred to Speedy that it never occurred to Aqualad that Blackfire favored him best.

"Aqualad no baka! You're a great catch! Just because Blackfire got her memory back, doesn't mean she'll forget about you. And you know that, why else did you accept D'ucel's challenge."

"I don't ever want to give her up."

"When the fight comes… make sure she knows that. Telling me is only going to make **me **feel all warm and fuzzy inside… and that doesn't help the situation one bit."

Aqualad reached out with both hands; one palming Speedy's face, the other braced on Speedy's shoulder. With his hands secured, he pushed with all his might, tossing the agile archer across the corridor. Speedy landed with his knees in his ears, dancing stars whirling above his head. Aqualad laughed.

"Thanks Speedy." Aqualad stood up and walked away.

The archer fell over; he looked over his head watching Aqualad walk away upside down. _You're welcome buddy…_

…

Nearly at the same moment when Aqualad found Speedy, Blackfire found Raven intimately embracing Robin. The two were having the make out session against a pillar of the corridor and it looked like Raven was winning. Blackfire blushed and turned her head, a cough let the pair know she was present. Robin blushed furiously. Raven pulled away from the Boy Wonder. The pink shade faded away from Raven before she leaned in for one gentle kiss.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Raven whispered.

Robin nodded, giving Blackfire a quick glance before retreating down the hall. Raven and Blackfire walked towards each other, Raven's steps were less worried and more frequent so she covered much more ground than Blackfire did. The black haired girl stopped in front of Raven, her blue eyes traveling across Raven's face.

"You consumed Warkbrags did you not?" Blackfire asked.

"How did you know?"

"I have seen before the effects of Warkbrags on women. How many have you consumed?"

"Six." Raven replied.

Blackfire reeled. Raven raised her right eyebrow. Blackfire's face cleared. "Perhaps you should stay in my company for the duration of the morning… The effects shall wear off by the beginning of the duel…"

"And that's what you want to talk to me about?" Raven asked.

Blackfire nodded. "My sister told me that she has confided in you in confidence concerning her worries. I wonder if I may do the same."

"Sure Blackfire, but I don't know how much I can help."

"Please Raven, follow me."

Raven followed Blackfire through the sharp corridors of Tameran's palace. Eventually the black haired girl led Raven outside to the most beautiful of Tameran's scenery. There were still no plants, Raven to that moment wondered how anyone could breath in the flora absent atmosphere.

"This is the Brugtogdorn: the sacred waters of Tameran. It is where Aqualad and D'ucel shall battle."

_I see…_

Blackfire knelt where she stood looking blankly over the surface. There was no wind to move the water, so the lake body remained absolutely still. Raven knelt down at the water's edge, past her reflection she could see straight to the bottom. Raven's fingers had almost touched the water when a ripple swam through the water. Raven frowned and looked to the side, seeing the remainder of a tear running down Blackfire's cheek.

"Blackfire, why are you crying?"

"I do not wish for Aqualad and D'ucel to fight."

"Then don't make them."

"I wish it were that simple." Blackfire replied.

"It is. Before the fight begins, you need to make a choice. Do you want Foxfire or Aqualad?"

"You say that so easily… you have never been in my situation."

Raven paused. "You're right, I haven't. But that doesn't mean I can't feel that this is wrong. I know tradition is strong on Tameran but---"

"It is not tradition." Blackfire cut Raven off mid-sentence and the mystic remained silent. "I do not care for the will of Tameran. It has betrayed me before and I fear it do so again today. I let this duel take place, because I fear the consequences of my own choice. I cannot decide whether my choice or the will of Tameran will provide a worse future."

"You can't decide can you?"

"I cannot. I care very deeply for Aqualad and D'ucel, more than I knew I was capable of."

"Which one do you care for **more**?" Raven asked.

"It is not magnitude, it is circumstance."

"I don't understand."

"I remember when I had my memory erased, how kind and patient Aqualad was with me. Even now, with all my memories back, I know that no one had ever treated me so wonderfully. He made me feel treasured."

"He **made** you feel treasured? As in past tense? Has your memory changed what he means to you?"

"No, no, no! I did not wish to imply that I do not care for Aqualad! My return of memory has not influence how I feel for him!"

"But your memory reminded you of what Foxfire means to you."

Blackfire nodded, running her fingers against the water. Raven reached out and pushed the shorter locks of Blackfire's hair behind her ear. "I care for D'ucel in a way that would make most poets weep. The loss of him, those years I spent mourning him… I don't ever want to hurt that way again."

"But you were just children then… how do you know it will keep feeling that way?"

"How do I know anything will feel the same way? That is the uncertainty of life is it not?"

Raven evaluated her next words very carefully. "I know what you want me to say, but I cannot do that. I can't help you choose Blackfire. We all have one true love in the universe. For me, I feel that it is Robin… For you it could be Aqualad, it could be Foxfire, it could be neither of them… you're the only one who knows… and even if I did know, I'd be out of line to say anything. I'm more than a little biased; I don't want to see Aqualad get hurt. But you can't let my opinion matter to you, because you're going to have to live with your decision for the rest of your life, not me."

Blackfire began to cry. Her tears fell like raindrops into the otherwise calm waters of Brugtogdorn. Her fists clenched in her purple skirt. Within hours she would have to change her clothing to the gown of Great Promises.

"Friend Raven, please understand that I do not cry for myself. I am fortunate to have two great men fight for me… I cry for both of them and this horrible thing my choices have led them to do."

"Blackfire… please tell me… if today before the fight ever took place, you had to choose one of them, could you choose one?"

Blackfire wiped her eyes and sighed. Her reflection calmed, highlighting the deep blue of her eyes. She could choose.

"Then that is who you should stand beside."

"I can not disrespect the passion of D'ucel and Aqualad… I have to let them fight or the choice will be made for me."

"Then Blackfire… no matter what the outcome of that fight, you have to stand beside the one you choose, that way only one of them will be hurt. It's the loneliness of the circumstances Blackfire. I know that you'd never choose for Aqualad and D'ucel to go through with this, because one will be the loser…"

"Is it such a terrible thing that I wish that my Grugdindorf was legitimate?"

"It would not spare Foxfire's feelings anymore than wishing you never had the Grugdindorf would spare Aqualad's."

"I am not very good at making good decisions."

"Life is doing things we aren't talented at, but no matter what you choose Blackfire, your friends will stand by your decision… we'll take care of you." Raven said gently.

"That is wonderful news… I really need… to be taken care of." Blackfire's head dropped gently to Raven's shoulder. Raven patted the small of the older girl's back. They sat there together for an hour before Blackfire stood up and the two traveled to Blackfire's bedroom. Raven remained silent as her nimble fingers helped Blackfire change into her dress of Great Promise…

Blackfire's eyes wavered at the sight of herself. In the grand mirror she saw that Raven was making an effort to avoid eye contact with Blackfire's reflection. The black haired princess steadied her breathing and began the journey back to the Brugtogdorn: intent to hold the promise she made to Raven… and to herself.

…

Galfor opened the court and the two fighters entered the Brugtogdorn. The Titans fell in afterwards, taking their seats as spectators before Star and Blackfire filed in and took their places at Galfor's feet. Blackfire's dress was a spectacle of color and decoration. Her long purple dress flowed in waves of silk and silver. Swirls of pinks and blues blushed against the fabric, highlighting every inch of her feminitiy. Her crown was speckled with beads and jewels, the dark colors lighting all the hues of her dark eyes…Dark eyes that could not help but look sad beneath the glow and circumstance of her presence. Galfor's powerful voice echoed magnificently along the great columns that enclosed the Brugtogdorn.

"Witnesses and spectators both, we are gathered to observe the challenge for the hand of Komand'r til Tameran Sixth. The worthy fighters, D'ucel the Foxfire of Tameran and Aqualad of the Earth realm are hereby engaged as is the will of Tameran and the approval of Komand'r herself."

Blackfire bit her lip. Starfire watched and the Titans waited. Aqualad and D'ucel stood with a distance of forty feet between them. Foxfire's face was calm, Aqualad's was determined. Sakura watched Speedy watch Aqualad; the archer's face was tight with uncertainty. It was a complicated riot of emotions flowing through the Brugtogdorn. Twinges of nervousness, regret, sorrow and uncertainty bombarded D'ucel, the war king suppressed the influx of emotions and waited.

"Let the challenge begin!"

D'ucel sprung forward, his speed adding power to his fist. Aqualad raised his arms in a protective shield. Foxfire's fist connected with his guard, the brute force knocked Aqualad ten feet away. He recovered before an eye beam could slam into his body. Aqualad landed a roundhouse kick, staggering Foxfire's footwork. Aqualad's grapple was reversed, D'ucel locking his arms at the Atlantian's neck. Aqualad struggled before finding enough pivot room to slip free from the hold. D'ucel dodged the mule kick and the successive punches that Aqualad threw. Foxfire's uppercut connected and Aqualad's reflexes allowed him to recover in a loose back flip. He landed just as Foxfire hurled a Fox Shot. Aqualad threw himself to the floor to avoid the blow.

The fight moved at a frenzied pace. Aqualad's attacks, Foxfire's counters, the parries and reversals were fluid and for most of the fight the spectators could not discern who was leading. Aqualad countered a tackle, hurling D'ucel away in a back sacrifice throw. Each move demanded Blackfire's attention, though nothing in the world could make her look away. She hiccupped when a fist connected with Aqualad's face and every time a kick caused damage to Foxfire's side. Starfire was the only person able to watch more than the fight. She watched her sister gasp and fret as the two fighters pummeled each other, war cries echoed against the water.

The round house kick catapulted D'ucel into the air. The warrior shook his head, taking the moment to clear the cobwebs from his head. D'ucel had never fought such an emotional battle before. The sentiments radiating from Aqualad and the other Titans were nearly unbearable, the pulses hammering at him from the princesses clouded his mind and both fed and crippled his abilities.

Foxfire's eye blazed blue. He could see Komand'r watching. The emotions erupting from his love confused him; that was his main motivation for ending this fight as soon as possible. He didn't understand the complexity of her feelings. They were unlike anything he had ever encountered, it was not a turmoil he had ever associated with his beloved and wanted to erase all traces of it from Komand'r as soon as possible.

D'ucel threw his Fox Shots in a blind fury, whipping the powerful blows from both hands. Aqualad dodged and danced between the aerial attacks until he was pushed against the edge of the water. Aqualad steadied his feet; he wobbled, flaying his arms to keep his balance. His imbalance gave Foxfire perfect aim. The blue eyebeams slammed into Aqualad's chest, knocking the Titan into the holy water.

Aqualad felt the water rush around him, an energy like no other dove into him. His body moved with the water, swimming about to dodge the frenzy of Fox Shots that D'ucel chased him with. Aqualad closed his eyes and let the water move him, lifting him up to the surface.

Foxfire ceased his attacks when Aqualad emerged from the water. The water condensed thickly as a platform for the Titan. The Atlantian's body dripped with the clear element, bathing him in his strength. Aqualad looked up at Foxfire, his dark eyes focused on the righteous blue glow that hid the Tameranian's eyes. Foxfire dove forward and with a powerful grunt Aqualad raised the water of the Brugtogdorn to slam into Foxfire's body. The warrior recovered and continued to charge, dodging and weaving the torrents of water at Aqualad's command. Feet away from his target, Ducel drew his fist back, his Fox Shot charged. The second his fist shot forward, Aqualad raised the water in a short powerful tide.

The clashing energy hurled light and the witnesses could not take their eyes away as the force of the attacks erupted the water beneath Aqualad's feet, taking nearly all of it from the great body of water. The water spun freely, spiraling free into the air. In slow motion the water sprayed back, D'ucel and Aqualad's eyes met in the torrent of water.

Blackfire gasped and rose to her feet. The water of the Brugtogdorn dispersed against the land, the great water body spread against the earth, a mere shell of its depth remained in the lake bottom.

Aqualad dropped his shoulder just in time to avoid Foxfire's diving foot. He pivoted quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid the eyebeams that crashed into his chest. The Atlantian Titan was thrown across the arena. He groaned as he tried to sit up. His eyes widened in panic as Fox Shots darted at him.

The Titans watched in horror as the shots connected, forcing yells of pain from Aqualad's lips. When the clouds of dirt settled, Aqualad laid bruised against the soil. His breathing was labored. His fingers clenched the loose dirt, dragging furrows with each flinch and flex.

"No." Speedy whispered.

"No." Raven whispered.

"Get up, Aqualad." Robin whispered.

"Please get up…"

Blackfire's head turned towards Galfor. The Grand Ruler made no move to call the end of the challenge. It would be D'ucel who determined the victory.

Foxfire soared higher into the air, his fist clenched in righteous fury. He regarded Aqualad, the pain that echoed from the Titan's body had nothing to do with the physical.

"You were a very worthy opponent, Lad of Aqua. I wish you great happiness in the future… but I call this fight in---"

"I won't forget her!"

The arena turned quiet as his voice ricocheted along all the columns and what was left of the Brugtogdorn. Foxfire's eyes lost their glow for a moment to allow himself unhindered witness to Aqualad pulling himself to his feet. Aqualad didn't have much power to stand on; one more attack would throw away his life and surely the battle. He rose to one knee, holding his right shoulder with a wounded left hand. He was breathing hard; he was sweating with the excursion. Weakly he rose to his feet, before dropping to his knee again.

"As long as I can… I will fight. I care for Blackfire and will fight until I can't. Come at me, with everything you have… until you destroy me, I am not out of this fight."

Blackfire's lips could not produce her desired cry, a single tear spilled from her cheek as Foxfire's eyes took their glow again and a Fox Shot was prepared.

She could not let this happen. Without regard for the consequences, she took to the sky and stopped Foxfire's attack.

His blue eyes widened as she stood before him, arms spread wide to block his attack from his intended target. D'ucel took in the sight of her; her fists were balled, generating her bolt. Her eyes sparkled with her righteous fury.

"My princess… what are you doing?" D'ucel asked.

From the ground, Aqualad felt her hands wrap tenderly against his body, easing all his weight to the ground. Even with the sweat in his eyes and the burning ache running through his body, he could see her in the sky, stopping the attack meant for him.

And Blackfire saw it too, her fingers clenched Aqualad's shoulders protectively but her eyes never left Starfire's form.

"Koriand'r, why are you…" The frenzy faded from Foxfire's eyes, but it did not leave Star's. The Titans watched confused. At the same moment, when D'ucel readied his strike, the Tameranian princesses had moved. Blackfire dove to Aqualad, wrapping her smaller body around his and Starfire had flown to the sky and interrupted Foxfire's attack.

The Titans' eyes widened at the display. Starfire had thrown herself into the path of Foxfire's attack. Had he unleashed it, she would have taken the full brunt of the blow. Starfire kept her arms outstretched and her eyes ablaze as Galfor rose from his seat. His hand rose, drawing Aqualad, D'ucel and Blackfire's attention.

"Starfire interfered… doesn't that make Fox the winner?" Cyborg asked.

Raven shushed him and took a step forward. The Titans followed her lead, though Speedy took off ahead of the rest of them immediately as he went to the aid of his friend. All of their paths took them towards Galfor.

Only when D'ucel moved at Galfor's beckoning did Starfire release her position. Starfire turned in the sky and watched D'ucel sink to the ground in a respecting kneel before Galfor. Speedy helped Blackfire bring Aqualad forward as well. Raven, Cyborg, Sakura and Terra stepped forward cautiously. Robin moved to Starfire, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Star…" Robin's fingers were delicate as they rested on her bare skin. Keeping Robin's touch in her heart, she slowly dropped to the ground. Before Galfor, Koriand'r kneeled, her place cemented between Komand'r and D'ucel. Her eyes did not leave Galfor's as he spoke his will.

"The challenge for the hand of Komand'r has been broken. The duel is null and to D'ucel goes the victory."

"No!" "You can't!" "That's not fair!"

"Starfire! How could you?"

Raven waved her hand, silencing the other Titans. It wasn't their own voices or even Starfire's that they needed to hear. It was Blackfire's.

Aqualad's eyes clenched together tightly, the pain of lose thieved the beginnings of tears from his eyes. Though his body was weak from the fight, powerful tremors wracked his lungs as Galfor's words crashed into his ears.

"It is the will of Tameran and the laws of the duel. Let is be known that the champion of Komand'r til Tameran Sixth is D'ucel."

"No." Blackfire said, her fingers flexing in the muscle of Aqualad's arms. The black haired girl shook her head. "Galfor, I can not commit to this decision. I will not."

"Komand'r?" D'ucel's eyes trembled as her eyes bore at Galfor. D'ucel stood, his steps taking him to her side. "My Komand'r, are you not pleased that I have won?"

"D'ucel… please understand. While in my heart there is always a place for you… I do not give my heart to you… I give it to Aqualad."

Speedy caught Aqualad when the Titan finally collapsed from his injuries. Speedy shook his head. _Buddy, you've got the best and worst timing._

"But my princess…"

Blackfire held her hand up. "I apologize deeply D'ucel for the injustice I have done to you… but in this battle, I hoped for one victor… and you were not him."

Starfire's eyes flickered at the slight movement behind her head. Sakura scurried to Speedy's side and began healing Aqualad with her powers: he should be awake for as much of this as possible.

D'ucel swallowed hard. Galfor stepped forward. "But D'ucel **is** the victor and you have made a commitment to this outcome."

"I know." Blackfire replied. Behind her, Aqualad groaned as he came around. Speedy and Sakura helped him sit up. The black haired hero rubbed his head, barely able to take in the rest of Blackfire's words. "It was very cruel of me to let Foxfire and Aqualad engage in battle… but I did because I believed that Aqualad would be victorious. In all my memory, I know that if I were to lose him, it would be a pain I would not be able to bear."

"Blackfire?" The blue eyed girl turned to Aqualad, throwing herself to his level and wrapping her arms firmly around his neck. "I am sorry for giving you uncertainty Aqualad. I want to be **your** girlfriend."

"I told you nothing between us had to change. I still want you as my girlfriend."

Blackfire grabbed Aqualad's face and kissed him on the mouth. It was their first kiss, a long awaited and precious one according to the Titans that witnessed. Starfire and D'ucel did not watch, instead they watched Galfor.

"Komand'r, you do understand the consequences of your action?"

Blackfire pulled away just enough to deliver a somber nod.

"What consequences, Blackfire?" Aqualad asked.

"The price of rejecting a sworn promise is to be banished from Tameran… and I accept… I have been banished once… I can survive." The blue eyed girl replied. Her eyes were bright though her smile was sad. Her fingers pushed Aqualad's hair behind his ears.

"You are incorrect Galfor." Starfire said, standing up. The Titans turned and watched Starfire approach the Grand Ruler.

"Explain yourself Koriand'r."

"There can be no punishment for my sister's actions for she committed no crime." Starfire replied.

"Koriand'r, Komand'r has broken the promise before the duel. It is in the will of Tameran that she be banished."

"No, she did not break the promise because the promise was incomplete. Before the Great Promise can be given, the eldest of living kin must consent… as I am the only kin to my sister, I do not give my consent and therefore this challenge is void."

The Titans gasped, both from surprise and joy. Galfor looked down at his beautiful Koriand'r and nodded his acceptance of her declaration. The Titans, for the most part, rejoiced.

…

Aqualad healed with Blackfire by his side. The raven haired pair spent every moment together, watching the end of the festival from Aqualad's hospital room.

Robin found Starfire at her balcony watching the last of the festival light up the dark sky.

"Starfire, why don't you go down and enjoy the last of the Bructhrog? We aren't leaving until tomorrow."

"No thank you. I do not wish to celebrate."

"Star, you did a wonderful thing for your sister."

"I did not… Galfor did."

"I don't understand."

"Though my declaration was correct, Galfor had two possible decisions. He could have accepted my declaration without fault… or he could have banished both my sister and I for our crimes against the Great Promise."

"But Galfor wouldn't do that… and you knew that."

"Galfor's kindness was not what I relied on… It was only after I moved to stop the attack that I realized my justification."

"So why did you stop the fight?"

"I wanted my sister to choose… without D'ucel and Aqualad choosing for her."

"I understand. If she wanted D'ucel to win, she would have accepted your interference… and if she wanted Aqualad…"

"She would have objected. If either won without my interference, I fear she would have went along with whom ever was victorious, regardless of her true feelings."

"You were protecting her heart." Robin said.

"Just as she protected mine a long time ago."

Robin swallowed hard. Tiny sparks of emotions jetted from Starfire. In her green eyes, Robin could see memories of himself, as Star remembered him, in great fondness.

"You're a great sister, Starfire, and a wonderful friend." Robin said definitively.

"My actions make me no better a person than I was before."

"But they make you Starfire and that is a wonderful person on all circumstances."

Starfire said nothing and Robin exited her room.

…

Galfor called Tameran's Foxfire to his chambers an hour before the Titans were scheduled to return to Earth. D'ucel made his approach with his great pride prorated, the wound in his heart sagging his shoulders slightly.

"You have summoned me, Grand Ruler?"

"D'ucel, you are a great warrior to Tameran and your love for our people is nearly unprecedented. Your love for Komand'r has been…"

"Please Galfor; tell me what has called me to you. I fear the pain is still too near to be reminded of my defeat."

"Your fight was brilliant."

"And the consequences of my pride and blindness are well exposed."

"You are aware then of my other option?"

"Yes, but I am glad that you made your decision. I believe for Komand'r it was the best one. In my fight with Aqualad, through the confusion of battle, I felt his caring spirit… with every moment his righteous fury was building. Though it saddens my heart… he is good for her. I cannot continue to ask her to love me, when she so obviously loves another."

"I call you before me to ask of you a favor."

"Anything within my power."

"I wish for you return to Earth and watch over the daughters til Tameran."

"Galfor?"

"I worry for them and the conditions of their hearts. They are likened to my own children, I worry about them… I would feel much better if there was a guardian for them, closer to them than I am capable of being."

"Do you believe that is what is best for Koriand'r and Komand'r?"

Galfor nodded. "I will ask Robin to accept you into his team. I believe your feelings for Komand'r and your good nature will allow you to behave appropriately. You are a good man D'ucel, I believe all of the Teen Titans agree to this opinion."

"If it is your will, I take great honor in fulfilling your request."

…

They returned to Earth as a group of ten: Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Blackfire, Speedy, Terra, Sakura, Aqualad, D'ucel and Star. Beast Boy and Celine were waiting for them and the reunion was a joyous event. The dozen heroes of Titans' tower gathered and mingled in the common room.

"Oh man!" Beast Boy shouted. "I missed a duel? The one time I'm not there!"

Blackfire giggled behind her hand. "It seems every time we go there, someone is dueling."

Beast Boy pouted. After a moment, the green changeling recognized Blackfire's humor and cemented for Beast Boy that her memory was really back.

"It doesn't matter… we're all here… Wait! Where's Star?" Beast Boy looked around and the rest of the Titans did as well. D'ucel found her sitting alone of the roof, gazing at the stars.

"Kori--- Starfire, do you not wish to attend the festivities? The Titans are preparing to play a strange game about challenges and the telling of truths."

"Oh, they are going to play Truth or Dare?"

D'ucel nodded. "Is something troubling you?"

"No."

"Truth." D'ucel responded. It took Starfire a moment to realize he was daring her in the telling of truths.

"I am happy to be amongst my friends… however; with this happiness is also uncertainty."

"I do not understand."

"Are you upset with me, for my actions during your duel?" Starfire asked.

"No… though it hurts my heart to see Blackfire with Aqualad… I am happy that she is content."

_Perhaps you are a better person than I am…_

"If I am not too bold to ask… Starfire… it seems the Titans, Earth born or not, have found happiness here… Galfor told me that you came to Earth for such particular reasons… have you found your heart on Earth?"

Before Starfire could answer, the alarm sounded. The Tameranian pair flew down to the common room where the other Titans waited. Celine's fingers dashed over her control panel, information outputs streamed along her monitors.

"We've got an old fashion smash job along main street in Uptown Jump… the system has identified the criminal as Johnny Rancid and it looks like he brought some toys."

The Titans turned to each other, each one grinning with excitement of getting to work. They threw their hands into a circle, one beside the other in nearly a perfect circle.

"You guys ready to get back to the home life?" Beast Boy asked.

"Let's do it." Cyborg answered.

The team raised their hands in unison. All of them waited for Robin's word.

Robin raised his eye brow coolly. "Titans! Go!"

And it was back into the fray for the twelve young heroes. In full effect, the Titans were back in town.

End of Chapter Nine


	35. Engraved Invitation

Engraved Invitation

ºFlashbacksº

º"I'm beginning to believe that the quality of your genius is overstated." Slade's fingers drummed against the protective armor on his elbow. His eye regarded the aborted biomass floating in its cryogenic liquid grave. This one didn't even produce consciousness before self-destructing.

"The experiment fails because it lacks sufficient materials. I produce the elements… you produce the mind. I'm holding up **my** end of the bargain."

Dr. Chang's oxygen pump hissed, a cold snap of air rushing into his lungs. Slade ignored the mad scientist's movements, instead favoring his chin with his fingers. Slade had been intimately fascinated with the evolution of Red X, so much so that Robin had become less of a priority and Red X became Slade's desired new pupil. However, gaining Red X and holding onto him was proving as difficult as holding the real Robin in his apprenticeship. Slade's face still bore the wound of Robin's final attack; the strike that nearly revealed himself to Robin… it was an attack that Robin would pay for dearly and possibly for the rest of his life.

Dr. Chang's head bobbled mechanically, his neck flimsy like cheap plastic. His eyes moved rapidly back and forth beneath the protective haze of his glasses. A swift combination f keys finished the disposal process of the failed Red X regeneration and set about the next attempt. Creation was inherently expensive and if not for Slade's unending wealth, Chang would have quit this project long ago. As it was the project would continue to fail until Slade gave Chang exactly what he needed.

"Have you been in his mind?" Dr. Chang asked, his tone suggested that he wasn't concerned for the answer. Slade knew otherwise.

"Not to the extent you suggest." Slade replied.

"This will continue to fail as long as the human element, the irrational aspect of mankind, is missing. I suggest you make an attempt to get into Robin's mind, if you want to create Red X… after all that is where Red X was created first… Invest in a method to get Robin's psyche… a clairvoyant functions well in stealing and trapping the mind---"

"I know enough." Slade replied, cutting off Dr. Chang. Slade wasn't in the business of getting assistance for things he was perfectly capable of getting on his own. His ruthlessness was born from his self-sufficiency. He wouldn't spoil that power in the first instance of failure.

Dr. Chang drew in another cold breath. "It is just as well," he said hauntly, "Perfect generation would supply Robin's rebellion and righteousness… all the fractions that make him the Boy Wonder and not the dark seed you desire… Entertain my curiosity: why do you want Red X and not Robin himself?"

Slade smiled beneath the plating of his mask. Though Chang could not see that smile, the sheer evil behind his leer told the mad scientist that the reason brought Slade more than satisfaction… it seemed to be his drive.

"Red X represents every suppressed natural instinct that Robin possesses for cruelty, manipulation, and deceit. The part he couldn't bare to show his team… the part that deserves to stand beside me."

"I will continue to work as long as your produce the monies." Dr. Chang responded, actually disinterested with what his employer had to say.

"I will hold you to that."º

…

"Naaahhh!" The distinct female war cry drew his attention behind his back. Robin ducked under the diving close line, his sister's body dropped to her knee, before tucking and rolling out of harm's way. Robin's back flip took him out of the path of storming Starbolts. His fingers shifted smoothly over his electro-discs and flame-discs, finally deciding on ice-discs. His expert aim trumped Starfire's Tameranian might, the red haired girl was trapped in an iceberg. The frozen body dropped, landing on a green Doberman, pinning the beast under the weight. Aqualad's jump kick was smooth and nearly flawless. The fighter's aimed was locked dead on Robin's chest and only a quick shift allowed Robin to clear the boot's path. His turn gave him enough leverage for a counter, his arm locked firmly at Aqualad's calf, turning sharply Robin threw his attacker back in the direction he had came from.¹

Robin's eyes widened when from the corner of his eye the splintering of the ground began. The concrete slabs that comprised the floor of his battle ground ripped apart. Terra's uppercut spiked the earth in mimic, an erupting wave of the ground speeding towards the Boy Wonder. Robin back flipped crisply, clearing well out of the path of Terra's geomancy, but into the range of Cyborg's punch. The Titans' leader ducked smoothly, thrusting his palms to the ground. The leverage allowed him to twist his hips sharply, his legs a whirlwind of motion as his boots kicked the cybernetic Titan into the air. Robin finished the somersault efficiently, his head turning quickly enough to see Foxfire's righteous fury take over as eye beams shot his way.

With no hesitation, Robin drew an electro-disc, hurling the compacted charge parallel to the path of the blue eyebeams. Robin cart-wheeled to the left, his cape whipped up as the efflux of the smashing eyebeam threw the wind around. The electro-disc took Foxfire from commission, with a groan the blond Tameranian fell to the floor.

Speedy drew back his bolt, his eagle eye trained on his equally masked target. As the torrent of arrows rained down, Robin's bo-staff repelled any that came close enough to do damage. The slick metal cut the wind, whirling with every twist of Robin's wrist. Blackfire's diving fist forced Robin to switch positions; his back flip took him from harm's way: just where he had stood was cratered by Blackfire's strength. The Tameranian took back to the sky, her eyes a threatening purple. Speedy leapt into the air as well, his arrow taunt against his weapon. Robin's next disc exploded into a net, binding the attacking pair, dropping them to the ground with a solid thud.

His movements had brought him to the south wall of the warehouse, where Raven was waiting. The black glow surrounding the crates as they were thrown with great speed. Robin leapt and bounded between and over them, each movement bringing him closer and closer to Raven. The cloaked wizardress was apathetic as Robin stalked forward. Her hands dropped with the force of her newest attack. Robin reached Raven's pedestal and wrapped his arms fiercely around her arms, pinning them to her side. It left him in the perfect position to attack her; instead he tossed her aside, sending her falling off the stack of crates.

He made the mistake of watching her stumble to the side. The pure white energy smashed into his side, knocking him clear off the boxes. His reflexes turned him about, instead of crashing to the ground; he slid across it, one knee and hand dragging across the cold slab. The dust couldn't mask Terra's approach, the punch sailed over Robin's shoulder, giving him a handle to fling Terra away like a rag doll. The blond fighter had barely rolled against the floor when Sakura engaged: her feet and fists shot out in heavy uppercuts and splitting leg lifts. Robin blocked, his feet constantly moving. Robin shifted and Sakura steadied, they hands in combat as their acrobatic feats created a beautiful dance.

Robin's Strike of the Flying Serpent pushed Sakura away just enough to allow him to extend the full length of his leg… and hers as well. At the same moment, their boots connected; Robin's into Sakura's stomach and Sakura's into Robin's chest. Robin didn't have the time to notice how far he had knocked her away, his own body had barely skid to a stop when the world around him began to spin… and all the opponents he had felled leapt at him from the sky: Star, Speedy, Aqualad, Cyborg, Foxfire, Terra, Beast Boy and Blackfire descended upon him in single circle. As the shadows of their forms crept closer and grew all-encompassing, Robin could see them both; Raven and Sakura, Sakura behind him, Raven a head of him, with their energy beams drawn, prepared to take out anything the others left behind.

"Terminate training simulation"

The holograms whizzed and faded. In a blink of his masked eyes, all ten of the virtual Titans evaporated into nothing. Robin twisted his neck swiftly; the illusionary warehouse dissipated revealing the more valuable of all the Titans' training fields. It was the one that only Robin ever used.

"That was very impressive Robin." Celine said, as she continued to deactivate Robin's training session. "I didn't think anyone could hold their own against the Titans… but you can."

"That wasn't the Titans… not by a long shot, Celine."

Celine crossed her arms over her chest. "I think I did a very good job of programming that simulation Robin. I gave it all the specifications that you asked for."

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel right. Star would have broken free much sooner, so would have Speedy and Blackfire. Aqualad would have never let himself be countered so easily. Raven would have---"

Celine touched the output monitor on the simulator's motherboard. "From the battle records we've gathered, it was as good as a representation as you're going to get without actually fighting the others."

"You weren't in the simulation." Robin pointed out.

"I have this thing about being copied…" Celine smiled and so did Robin.

He had given her access to all the battle data that had been collected, training run-throughs, recorded battles and individual practice sessions to create the system. She hadn't liked the idea much when Robin had come to her with a new battle simulation that he wanted her to establish. Not just because it was Robin vs. the other Titans, but because it was **only** Robin vs. the Titans. It bothered her to think that Robin saw himself as a different unit in the Titans, that he was isolated by his human element.

"But still, you're underestimating them. It doesn't feel right."

"I think that's because **you** don't feel right about fighting your friends. And I'm hardly underestimating them. This is the best I can do without evolving the irrational element. I can't duplicate their battle passion or sense of comradeship or that human influence that drives them all to fight for each other. Even if I could have, I wouldn't have if you asked me."

"I wouldn't have and I know what you're getting at Omicron. The human element… You and I both have only our strength of presence. I don't see it as a flaw, but I've got to work three times as hard, in situations that stress me, to make sure that my skills don't let my team down."

"You haven't let them down Robin."

_I can't let any of them down._

…

It was quite by accident that KnowledgE had reminded her of Sabrah and Lethe. Raven's mediation had begun winding down when the flash of the two little girls had come to her mind.

It was clear as day, the memory of them sitting together in the deep brown land of Azarath. They didn't mind that their clothes were getting dirty. Their robes slid across their bare legs as their fingers moved across the browning grass. Raven remembered the way the two small girls had looked, Lethe forcing herself not to cry and Sabrah consoling her. It was a scene Raven remembered well; it seemed to happen almost every day when the girls completed their training for the day. They were apprentices to the Azar Metrion, studying constantly to become mistresses to Azar's temple. Raven remembered that Sabrah had an infinitely easier time than Lethe, because no one picked on her or punished her for her mistakes: at least not to the extent that Lethe was… and certainly not from the same source.

Sabrah's pale skin wasn't so unlike Lethe's save for the smudges of a furious hand wiping tears away. "Lethe, Fisbian Nordius Katora Cortial Nor." (You can't let Katora get to you so."

"Torimas Unbrasianal Xinthermas Quinia Nal." (I train to get better, but the better I get the more she hates me.)

"Brodarius Un Para Para Atine." (Wouldn't you hate yourself if you were weak?)

"Este Supran Esterus Un Agape." (You say that is if I'm not weak.)

Sabrah dove forward, embracing the slightly older girl by the shoulders. Lethe's hair tickled Sabrah's eyelids and Sabrah's tight chignons bumped into Lethe's cheek. Her words became common, as if she wanted all of Azarath to understand her declaration.

"You're strong! Stronger than anyone else! Azar says so!"

"You're stronger… Azar will pick you."

"Azar will pick who is best for Azarath! We're what's best for Azarath and no matter what that nasty Katora says, we'll fight and be great for the future! We'll see!"

Lethe laughed at the younger girl's excitement before hugging her back. Their unmastered powers shook the earth, breaking faults into the land and accidentally breaking the wheel of a carriage cart. The two girls giggled and blushed embarrassedly.

Raven could still see the two girls hugging each other as they tried to calm their powers. Raven didn't know why she remembered every inch of that, though when she had first engraved her witness into her mind, it looked to Raven as the most beautiful thing she would ever see. As the long haired mystic tied her cloak closed, she wondered what truly had become of Lethe and Sabrah. They were people she didn't expect to see again, two girls that she had left behind in Azarath.

_I suppose I did leave good things behind in Azarath… But then again, had I never left I wouldn't be able to find all the great things in front of me…_

…

"Are you insane?" "Absolutely not!" "Under no circumstances what-so-ever is that a good idea."

Cyborg scowled at the opposition he found in the voices of his companions. Beast Boy was frowning, Aqualad crossed his arms over his chest and Speedy couldn't bring himself to look at Cyborg anymore.

"I don't see why you guys aren't right on board with me here."

"It's treason!" "It's mutiny!" "And it's pretty lame."

Cyborg's face sagged. "You can't tell me you're not interested."

"Infinitely." "Naturally." "My curiosity is overwhelming."

Cyborg shook his head. "You've got to see where I'm going with this. We're all really curious about how Robin and Raven are going to celebrate their six month anniversary. They're getting ready right now, why don't we find out?"

"Doesn't that seem like a gross invasion of their privacy?" Speedy asked.

"Knowing anything about Rae or Robbie is a gross invasion of their privacy. Come on, let's find out what they're up to."

"Their anniversary isn't for another two weeks Cyborg… It would be one thing if you wanted to help them out with celebrating, but you're talking about spying and I want no part of that." Aqualad replied.

"What about 'spying because we care'? I remember when that was our motto."

"That was before I had Sakura." Speedy said.

"And before I had Blackfire." Aqualad added.

"Cyborg, even **I** think this is a mistake and my natural reaction to most bad ideas is to go for it, but Raven and Robin have something really special… and there's no way that our curiosity should risk hurting that."

"You know, when Beast Boy's argument against something makes sense, it's either a sign of the apocalypse or a good clue for not doing it." Aqualad said.

"Besides," Beast Boy said raising an eyebrow, "We can get all the gory details in much more embarrassing ways than spying…"

…

Raven was trying not to eye the dress for fear that her concentration would incinerate the delicate silk material. That was if the mirror wasn't crushed first. Raven sat at the vanity in Sakura and Celine's room, while the three older female Titans were priming Raven for what seemed to be hours, but in actuality had only been thirty seven minutes.

Raven hadn't realized that Celine and Sakura had been paying such close attention to Raven's relationship with Robin to realize that a milestone anniversary was approaching. It had caught Raven completely off guard when the roommates had pulled her aside and asked her how her prep work was going. When they noticed that the blank stare on her face had nothing to do with shock, the girls turned to each other, their pet project outlined before Raven had time to protest.

Somehow Star, Terra, Blackfire and D'ucel, for some reason, had been dragged into what had started off, in Raven's eyes, as a mere mugging become an all out invasion of territory.

The trip to the mall hadn't been nearly as painful as Raven had expected it to be. Sakura and Celine seemed quite prepared to handle all the details of finding a dress for such a momentous event. Where Sakura got the experience, Raven didn't bother to comprehend. She just did as she was told; when dresses were thrown at her she put them on and did her best not to collapse in on herself from awkwardness.

They had gone through eleven dresses before the unveiling of a dress against Raven's slender form had caused Foxfire to blush and turn his head, announcing to Celine and Sakura that that dress was the one.

_The dress is beautiful…_ Raven mused as Blackfire continued to weave pins through Raven's hair and Celine lightly painted her eyes. They seemed to be going out of their way for the practice run. There were still fourteen days until the day, but apparently that wasn't enough time. Raven couldn't decide if that was an insult or just a testament to the severity of the situation. Sakura puckered Raven's cheeks to paint her lips. The soft color was dangerously familiar to Raven; the long-haired mystic looked above her head, moving only her eyes. She had learned the hard way that moving your head while someone was pointing a blunt object into the skin of your eyelid always ended badly. Raven's deep purple eyes saw past Blackfire's focused form in the mirror, her eyes skipping over Terra and landing on Starfire. Her lips and Starfire's matched.

Somehow Raven had been able to ignore the relationship Robin had had with Starfire. Robin had admitted to her once, long before they realized they felt anything for each other, that Starfire was the first girl he had ever seen as more than a friend. From the way Starfire behaved in the company of others, Robin was the only male she had ever considered as more than a friend.

Their friendship hadn't been harmed when the roles were reversed; when Raven took up Robin's careful gaze and Starfire was the strong Titan that was a cornerstone for their small family. But Raven couldn't help but wonder if Starfire had been harmed. It would be no wonder that the girl had been affected; Starfire's actions were that of a generally good person. She protected both Raven's heart by not challenging Raven's feelings for Robin in the way D'ucel had with Aqualad and protected Blackfire's heart by challenging all of Tameran in a way to most would have been treason.

But Starfire was the exact opposite of treasonous, she was infinitely faithful.

Star was not in the business of changing friendships. Robin was still her best, and Raven remained her closest. But closeness was a relative term. Raven bit her lip, how had she missed it? Star's heart flame could only glow so bright before her friends would have to fan it to bring back its beauty, just like Raven and hope: Raven could only stand strong for the future as long as her friends stood with her.

…

Thursday came around three days after the reunion of the Titans and twelve days before the anniversary. That afternoon found the dozen occupants of Titan's tower split amongst the levels. Starfire and D'ucel were training together, testing out Celine's latest obstacle course. Robin was solitary in the evidence room, organizing files for his latest report. Aqualad and Blackfire were tending Celine's greenhouses. When the red haired genius had decided to maintain the green house, adding in a day lily garden, and even installing a hydroponics set-up, the black haired couple jumped at the opportunity to help. Speedy was satisfying his appetite in the kitchen as Raven and Sakura trained in the mediation room. That left Celine and Terra to suffer through the latest edition of Cyborg vs. Beast Boy: Duel of Cyber-Beasts.

Terra dropped her controller and a few seconds later Celine tossed hers away as well. Cyborg and B.B. had all but annihilated the girls in the first minutes of the tournament.

"Why am I not better at this? I'm a master strategist!" Celine sighed.

Beast Boy grinned. "Don't feel bad Celine! You're playing against the King of Gaming!"

Celine and Terra sighed. _Lame_. Terra stood up and cracked her back. "It's almost three, the mail should be here."

Celine watched the pair continue to battle in virtual form. Beast Boy continued his button mashing tactics. Terra raised an eyebrow at Beast Boy's response; or rather lack there of.

"Beast Boy, didn't you hear me?"

"Yeah, you're gonna check the mail." Beast Boy responded.

Terra fretted, rubbing a hand against the back of her neck. This wasn't making sense. "It's Thursday. Don't you want to look for your mom's letter? Last week you worried yourself stupid over it."

"I already got it." The green changeling replied.

"Huh? How'd you get it?"

"Celine took care of it. The transporter she made works perfectly." Beast Boy grinned at the red-haired genius before turning his attention back to the game. He stuck his tongue out to the side, a look of concentration solid, though a bit silly, plastered on his face.

"Oh, well maybe there's fan mail. I'm going to go check."

"Alright." "Cool." "Have fun."

And so it was Terra who found Slade's message attached to a panel on Titan's tower. The blonde girl swallowed hard, jumping to retrieve the letter baring Slade's mark. Terra stared down at the light letter in her hands, she fretted before turning back into the tower. Even though the letter was clearly labeled for Raven, she brought it to Robin.

The Titans' leader didn't turn around when the evidence room door was opened. He did turn when no steps came forward. The masked hero faced Terra; he had never seen such a somber look on her face.

"Terra, what's wrong?"

Terra's fingers clenched the unopened letter in her hand.

"Terra?"

The blonde girl extended the letter. Robin stepped forward and took it from her hands.

"This came in the mail today." Terra said slowly.

Robin turned the letter over, his teeth bared when he recognized the Slade mark on the front. _It's addressed to Raven… the message…_ The Titans' leader turned to the blonde geomancer. "Gather the others to the common room."

Terra nodded and ran to follow his orders.

…

This history of Raven's shattered state was only understood by two beings: Raven and the Azar Metrion, who trained the girl from birth. Even in childhood, the cursed nature of the half-demon was a fragile and temporal condition.

RAGE and KNOWLEDGE had been born at the same time. … during Raven's first fight with RAGE, BRAVE was born

Or perhaps RAGE was there first, the first mass to collect itself from the fog of Raven's mind. The first presence in Raven's psyche was undeniably dangerous… If RAGE ever controlled KNOWLEDGE… all would be lost… KNOWLEDGE was her conscious before she built a will and desire to do good, despite what was whispered around her in barely hushed voices.

KNOWLEDGE and BRAVE were her conscious; they reminded her of all the consequence of her existence…. But they wouldn't let her down. They wouldn't let her take the easy way out…

The bond between Raven and all the sides of her identity came rapidly for some, like KnowledgE and BravE, more slowly for some like JeALoUsY and SORroW, and some formed no bonds at all, like the fragile HOPE and the eternally insatiable RAGE¹. Each of the characters had their influence on Raven, some manipulated her trust and others sparked new powers and others interrupted her growth.

_The Titans will get stronger to protect you; you'll get stronger to defend us…_ Robin's words had seemed to have been delivered so long ago, but in truth it was only in the last chapter of their lives². Sakura sat in concentration, her holy energy whipping the air around herself and Raven. Raven's fingers were spread just outside of her body, her demonic power rebounded and countered Sakura's. Raven's superior control was pushing Sakura to her limit and then Raven pushed harder. Sakura's power was proof of the first sentiment of Robin's pledge: all of the Titans seemed to becoming stronger, much stronger than any of them realized. Robin's reflexes, the Tameranian trios' fury, Speedy's aim, Cyborg's upgrades… each one of them were putting forth their best, dropping the title of **young** behind them and simply becoming **heroes**.

Raven was getting stronger as well, but as she saw it, the best way she could grow to defend her friends, was to make all the Titans as strong as **she** could: meditating with Aqualad, sparing with Beast Boy, forcing Celine to exercise every creative muscle she had when Raven completed her obstacle course.

Sakura gasped and the Holy energy collapsed. Raven regained her focus, realizing she had been pushing harder than she had intended to. Sakura pushed her bangs out of her face, sweat clinging to her skin.

"That was intense. But I'm getting better, neh?"

"Much better. Your healing and defensive powers are evolving very rapidly."

"But…" Sakura waited for the kick.

"But your attacks are not nearly as good as they can be. Counterattacks sway battles, Sakura. When an enemy rebounds from a deflected attack, there is an instance where their defenses are fractured. Striking then can turn the tables."

"Right. I'm trying to get Holy to attack readily, but it takes a lot more focus to make an attack rather than a defense."

"It's the consequence of multifaceted powers."

"I've been practicing my attacks like you told me to, but I'm still having problems with energy beams, more than I am with energy balls."

"The difference between a beam and a ball is the difference between extension and discrete powers. A ball of energy is a discrete unit, once you've dispelled it; it is independent of your body. A beam is an extension of your body… it's like your fingers are stretched… and that means any interference in that extension can be damaging. I encourage you to exercise them with caution."

"Understood."

"Beams are generally more powerful. Having the ability to control an energy beam is invaluable."

"Hai. What do I need to do?"

"To begin--"

Just as Raven's energy began to seep from her body, the door to the training room slide open. Terra rushed in, her blue eyes scanning the room until she located them both.

"Raven, Sakura… meeting in the common room."

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked getting to her feet.

"Slade." Terra replied.

Raven stood up. The three girls ran to meet the others in the common room.

…

Starfire held herself in absolute stillness. Her huge green eyes were cast towards the hands in her lap and had been since Robin announced that they were gathered at that moment because of Slade.

The Titans' leader held the envelope in his hands cautiously. While it wasn't Slade's style to send exploding packages, he had learned not to put anything past the masked villain. The eleven Titans waited in varying levels of worry, fear and morbid curiosity. Robin hesitantly extended the envelope to Raven. It was her message after all. She refused it. Robin watched the way her hair moved and her thick lashes fell when she put the responsibility on him. Robin's glove protected his finger from the paper cut that would have been absolute from his haste. The envelope fell free and a single sheet of paper was unfolded in the Boy Wonder's steadied hands.

"Dear Raven," Robin paused, his throat clenched as he tried to force the sound of Slade's voice from his mind. "I hope this letter finds you well. If not, I believe you already realize that your predicament only gets worse from here. The day is approaching Raven. Prepare now for your influence against the survival of this world. Your great demon king demands your presence. In twenty-one days, come to the Cave of Serin. You will know how to find it; you always were a clever girl. And feel free to bring all your little Titans… they deserve a front row seat. And if you were considering not showing up, Raven, you know the consequences… we'd hate for something unfortunate to happen to your friends." The slow in Robin's voice let the Titans know it was the end of the letter. "Signed… The Slade Syndicate."

"Slade Syndicate? He's got a network?" Cyborg asked.

Celine stood up and took the letter from Robin's hands. "He's got Blood working with him, Red X, and probably any other dark characters he's been able to contract."

"His own Brotherhood of Evil." Beast Boy added.

"Do you know about this Cave of Serin place, Raven?" Speedy asked.

The mystic nodded. "It's a portal realm… its used to travel between dimensions… Like the one I used to come to Earth. Where it is… I'm sure Slade will make sure we know…"

"Are you really considering going?" Aqualad asked.

"Slade said there would be consequences." Terra said.

"Yeah, but we've fought off Slade and his plots before… If we stay here and protect Raven…what's the worse Slade is capable of?" Cyborg asked.

"We haven't seen it yet." Robin replied.

"So we are going?" Starfire asked.

Robin nodded. "If Slade wants the Titans… he'll get them in full force."

Raven nodded, Terra swallowed hard and Sakura dropped the side of her right fist into the open palm of her left hand.

Celine's eyes scanned the letter, her eyes narrowed. "Twenty one days… but this letter was marked eight days ago… that means thirteen days…"

"Eight days… why did he wait so long to send it?" Blackfire asked.

"Why did it take us so long to find it?" Sakura asked.

_Thirteen days…that means the last night… _

"That doesn't matter," Robin interjected. "Titans we need to get ready… it's obvious that Slade has something detailed and dangerous planned out for us. We need to be prepared to make sure Slade's plan fails."

Raven stood up sharply, her dark energy was trembling inside her. A terrible ache was beginning to roar in her belly. The consequences of her heritage were crashing into her body and her mind with a force she had only experienced once before; when she had learned of her pedigree and what that birth right had meant… _How much longer until the red marks flare… reminding all my friends of the horrible thing that I'll do? _

_No… that thing… I will not do…_ Robin's words came to the center of Raven's attention. She could hear them, in his voice, in the gentle way he spoke to her. "_The Titans will get stronger to protect you; you'll get stronger to defend us… and…"_

Raven's eyes shifted to Robin's face, his masked eyes were on her heavily lidded ones. Just for a moment she thought his attention fell to her lips… Raven turned her head to the side for just a moment, before raising her hands. She didn't need her secret words to wrap her power around Terra and Sakura. The two girls blinked when the black spheres of Raven's demonic heritage gathered around them.

"Raven? What are you doing?" Terra asked, kicking at her prison.

"If you wanted our attention, you've got it!" Sakura added, her countering force whirling between her fingers.

"It isn't your attention I want; it's your concentration… I don't know all we're up against, but Slade's Syndicate is probably infinitely stronger than we're aware of… and we need to be ready… the fact that you can't get out of my barrier tells me we have lots of mediation to do in the next thirteen days."

"We all need to prepare… our bodies, our energies, our spirits… We can't afford to lose the hearts and minds war before we go into battle." Celine added.

Sakura nodded in agreement and Terra accepted it, the black guard disappeared. The two girls stood up and preceded Raven's exit from the common room without a glance back. Raven did glance back, catching Robin's eye for just a moment. Robin nodded… and didn't see her again for three days.

…

Cyborg didn't know that the training room could withstand the punishment the Titans were delivering. Speedy's arrows cut deep into the bull's eye, each bolt exploding in a show of heat and light. They came faster than a normal person should have been able to unleash, but Speedy wasn't normal, he was exceptional. _That's why he's part of the team…_ Cyborg's blue eye trained across the battle ground of Titans. Aqualad's fists were hammering a punching bag, his spin kicks rang the chains, stressing the weakest link… _to make sure he wasn't… _Beast Boy was serving as a caddy as Celine made repairs to B.B.'s own training device. The evolutions of Beast Boy's mimics were tearing through the simulator with an intensity Cyborg hadn't seen since Beast Boy had discovered his Beast Within.

And then there was Starfire, Foxfire and Blackfire. Against the window of the training room, the three sat in a line, with Star in the middle, her sister to her right and Tameran's champion to her left. For two straight days the trio had sat almost perfectly still. Aqualad noticed Cyborg's stare and stilled his punching bag. When the mechanical Titan approached, Aqualad dropped an arm to rest against Cyborg's shoulder.

"Any idea what they're doing?" Cyborg asked.

"Something called Virdias. It's the summer solstice of Tameran where they gather their power from the sun."

"How long does it last?"

"Four more days."

"Four days? That's half the time we have left to prepare! The timing couldn't be worse."

"I wouldn't say that… its like training for them… they're gathering as much strength as they can and making it a part of themselves… sounds like mediation and conditioning if I ever heard it." Aqualad replied.

"You know, I'm glad everything worked out with you and Blackfire."

"So am I… now we've got to do our part in making sure that we've got lots of time to enjoy what we have."

Cyborg nodded, turning his face from Aqualad and the three locked in prayer. His blue eye shifted and fell on Celine and Beast Boy. The red haired girl wiped a train of sweat from her forehead. She smiled at Beast Boy then turned her head when she noticed Cyborg was looking at her. She smiled for him too. And Cyborg felt for himself the full effect of Aqualad's sentiments.

…

It was three days of intense mediation, but more than six days total focused on mental readiness for Raven, Terra and Sakura. Black energy battled white and yellow; the power emitted in that tight triangle would have thrown any scouter or mystic reading… but they kept it trapped in a controlled space…

For the most part.

The black energy conquered both white and yellow when the yellow energy collapsed from strain… and the energy bearer collapsed as well. Sakura retracted her defeated energy, the white glow fading away from her hands. To her right, Raven called back her dark energy, her hood pulled across her face, her braid falling over her shoulder. Sakura's face didn't betray her disappointment, but her voice did.

"That's it? That's all you've got?"

Terra's sweaty hair clung to her gloved fingers before sticking behind her ears. She shook her head in the negative. "No, I can do better… I'm just…"

"Terra… what's---"

"No, no… It's just my nerves. This is kinda a big deal." Terra replied.

"Terra, there's no 'kinda' about it." Raven replied. "You're better than this, I've seen better from you Terra. You have to do better or we can't… you aren't the only one trying to control her powers."

"I know, I know Raven… I'm trying my best to do this right… but I feel like… I'm still new at this type of training."

"You've been saying that for six days." Raven turned her head to see Terra directly and Sakura from the corner of her eye. "Terra… in one week, the fight with Slade is coming and you especially need to be ready." Raven's eyes were hard, whether purposely or just the natural response to the severity of the situation. "You wanted to forget the past… this is a close as we're going to get to that. You've got to get over being mad at me---"

"Why does this have anything to do with you?" Terra asked.

"Terra…" _You know why. _Raven's glare would have told her, whether or not she sent the message through her mind.

Terra rolled her lip slightly, turning away her head in something close to shame.

"You've got to get over being mad at me and start being afraid of Slade… he is coming and I have no doubt that he is planning something terrible and if he can… he'll use you like he did before." Raven's words could have turned deserts to tundra, but she was being truthful. It was not simply for Terra's welfare that she pushed the blond geomancer, and Sakura too for that matter, Raven could only fight her best when beside her was a unified force, with everyone attacking with everything they had. A weak link would snap the chain, severing the Titans and severing humanity's hold on this world.

Terra's fists clenched. "That won't happen… He won't use me."

Sakura stood up, her leather cape brushing against her pant legs. "Maybe that's enough for now… pushing too hard only makes things break… besides, Speedy wanted to practice with me, so I should get going."

Raven didn't stop her and Terra had nothing to say. Terra didn't make an excuse for her exit, figuring Raven wouldn't want to hear anything from her right then anyway. The purple haired girl's pale fingers reached for the fabric of her hood, the hesitance in the grip of her fingers showed that she wasn't committed to keeping the fabric on, but wasn't totally sure of the consequences of taking it off. There wasn't much light in the training room where Raven practiced her spells and incantations, but there was more than enough to highlight the tears running down her cheeks. _In seven days… _Raven didn't pull off her cloak, didn't allow her body and her mind to relax. Her body took to its lotus position, her fingers pinched into atonement.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos---" _In seven days…_

…

Then there were three days left.

The Titans' training overlapped when they could; Speedy and Sakura sparred, Star and Blackfire dueled, Cyborg integrated his newest data into Celine's system and Terra watched Beast Boy transform.

Beast Boy's Beast Within had great potential for destruction. That kind of power was primal. As a result, Beast Boy didn't unleash it often, but now he had a need. Beast Boy didn't seem to mind that Terra stayed with him, he felt better knowing that when he came back to himself, that he came back to someone else who was worried enough to show it.

It was needless to say that Terra's training with Raven had ended… let's say not well. So Terra decided to spend these last few days with Beast Boy.

The green changeling's massive form tore almost gracefully against his obstacle course. Beast Boy had never been so focused, never had a reason to, but doing his part in stopping the end of the world seemed to be motivation enough. It was hard to keep up with him sometimes, but there were moments when his uncertainty stood out and those green eyes gave all the world a look into his worry.

It was the same with Starfire and D'ucel. Star could battle with a might that D'ucel had difficulty challenging sometimes, but when that riot of emotion within Starfire calmed, Foxfire's blue eyes couldn't meet Starfire's green ones, because she couldn't hold her head up long enough for him to see them.

But it was moments like that, that formed greater friendships. When Aqualad lifted Blackfire's chin, when Speedy squeezed Sakura's hand, when D'ucel patted Star's shoulder tenderly, for a few more moments they could fight again, fight for their friends, fight for the rest of their lives. When the battle grounds of the Titans over lapped, there was will to keep fighting, a simple touch reminding them all how much they were fighting for…

But the paths that crossed far too infrequently were Raven and Robin's. While in no way were they avoiding each other, they trained harder than any of the other Titans, leaving little time to ease the worry of each other's mind.

Cyborg noticed first, then Star and then Beast Boy. Robin was taking his breakfast at six AM and Raven was taking hers at nine. Robin often didn't show up for lunch, though it was rare that any Titans that weren't training together to eat together; Celine made sure there was always food on stock and hoped for the best, but seeing as for the last two days Raven had been mediating in complete solitary and what the Boy Wonder was doing was anybody's guess - thus less of the pair were seen and less and less of the pair were seen together.

The other Titans didn't know that Raven fell asleep dreaming of Robin and that Robin couldn't sleep a wink until he knew that Raven was asleep or had at least been asleep within the last few hours. He'd snuck to her room more times than he cared to think about to see if she was asleep. Sometimes she would be awake; mediating in the center of her room, other times she would be laying across her bed holding a book in her lap. Other times still, he had seen her laying gracefully against her sheets, her skin nearly glowing against the dark sheet, as she slept without movement.

But it was that night, the night before a day that should have been one filled with wonderful movement and heart felt confessions, but instead the day that marked the day before the Titans' greatest challenge… that night, he went to check on Raven and found her in a fit of terrible sleep.

He had never seen her body twisted in such pain. Her fingers clenched her sheets, her teeth bit sharply into her lip and her head thrashed furiously in the negative. Robin saw her and dashed in immediately. His body disrupted the weight balance of Raven's bed, a brown bunny tripped to the floor with the shift. Robin didn't notice; he could only see Raven's eyes slowly opening as if his presence was enough to clear everything that tormented her. _I wish it were so…_

Her eyes opened slowly, the huge pools of color adjusted quickly, recognizing Robin's face even though his hand under her head, his heart beat rushing under his palm had told her that already.

"You were having a nightmare." Robin said.

Raven nodded. "Stay with me for a little while." Raven whispered.

_I'll stay with you always._

Robin laid down beside her, the back of his fingers dusting her cheeks. Raven's eyes opened and closed, her irises wandering to Robin's fingers then his face. Robin's eyes were closed, from fatigue or from content, Raven didn't assess. It wasn't often that Raven used her healing powers on Robin, his sister usually did when he over worked himself, or he'd tend to his own wounds in the medic room. But now Raven saw the little stresses and scratches against his skin as her wounds. She enveloped them both in her energy. Robin felt the surge of her power, the power that was capable of being more fearsome than anything he had ever encountered, but at that moment it was gentler than almost anything he had ever felt in his life.

Robin's breathing deepened, Raven's powers relaxed and the two laid together on Raven's bed. Raven's whisper broke the delicate silence.

"We only have two days left."

"No, we have two days until… we're going to stop this Raven. We're going to win this."

"I believe we can… we **will**… but…"

"Your nightmare, what was it?" Robin asked, his body rolled over hers, his lithe form propped against his elbows. Raven thought to look away, but found she couldn't. Found she didn't want to. She wanted Robin to see everything.

"He had taken my eyes… and used them to see the entire world, to see everything that was beautiful, see everything he could cast in shadow… He took me apart, to find all the precious things to me and wash them away from the universe, but making me stay and watch… making it my fault."

"Raven, no…"

"I know, I know." Raven said, reaching her fingers to trace the outline of Robin's lips. He silenced readily and Raven went on. "But just seeing it… scared me. I won't let Trigon do those terrible things… not to me, not to us, not to any of us."

"I believe in you. I believe it in my soul… and in your soul as well. We're going to stop him, because I won't let him take that away from you."

"Take what?" Raven asked.

"Your gentle spirit."

"He can't have my spirit Robin. My conscious and my soul are not connected. I may have a gentle spirit, but my mind will always be a slave to him… until we stop him."

"We will stop him. I know we will."

Robin gently dropped his head, resting it on Raven's chest. Her heartbeat was calm against his cheek. Her fingers rubbed his back gently, almost lazily.

"Raven, are you tired?" Robin asked.

Raven nodded, obviously sleepy.

"Do you want me to stay tonight?"

"I think just this once, alone would be better… if I'm able to focus a little more; I know I'll be able to rest tonight."

Robin nodded. He kissed her lips, they were dry and the kiss lasted just a little longer than he had meant it to. Her eyes blinked, he drank in the sight of her. _It was a good thing she asked me to leave; there was no way either of us could concentrate after a kiss like that…_

Robin left her room, closing the door behind her. Raven didn't sit up, instead traced the clothed skin of her chest where Robin's head had lain with one hand as the other cupped the cheek that Robin had so tenderly caressed.

Raven went to bed every night with worry. Whether she felt Robin's goodnight kiss or not. In the shadow of her room, she could feel the stress pulling at her, tampering with the control and resistance Raven had to her powers.

Raven's eyes closed on their on accord. In the echoes of the shadows of her room she could hear Robin's voice. "_The Titans will get stronger to protect you; you'll get stronger to defend us…" _

_In two days we'll find out if that's true._

…

Robin woke up with the sun in his eyes, in his own bedroom on the day of his anniversary. The light was golden, as if the sun were filling up only that room. His ankles rolled against the sheet, the morning stiffness in his joints disappearing in seconds. His back arched off the bed as he stretched his full length. A contented sigh was nearly interrupted when a distinct giggle caught his attention.

The Boy Wonder rolled to his side, though unexpected as the sound was, he welcomed it; it wasn't a threat, it was something infinitely more satisfying. His masked eyes focused on the gentle smile on her face.

"You purr like a kitten when you stretch. Did you know that?" Raven asked.

"It feels good… just like waking up to you." Robin replied.

Raven blushed and turned her face away. Robin shifted his body lazily, putting all his weight onto his left arm as his right one reached out and cupped her chin, turning her face back towards his. His smile was warm, he was a morning person and everything was free and natural with him in those first few hours of daylight. His gloved thumb stroked the soft skin of her face as her eyes came back to his.

"Happy Anniversary." Raven whispered.

Robin nodded. "More than happy Raven… much more than happy." Robin leaned forward, meeting her kiss. It didn't matter to him that he just woke up and his breath would be much less than pleasant, because he knew she wouldn't care, not today, not with everything that today meant.

"I want you to meet me on the roof in an hour. I came in to make sure you're awake." Raven said.

"Wide awake."

Raven hummed her agreement, her fingers trailing over his forehead and down the side of his face. Robin nodded and Raven gave him the sweetest look as she turned to walk out of his room. Robin pulled himself from his bed, accidentally knocking his green monkey to the floor. The Boy Wonder picked it up, holding the stuffed animal safely under his thumb.

_How long had Raven and I been friends before I realized how much she meant to me? I wonder how much time we wasted, being nervous and silly with our feelings? The first time we traded gifts? The first time she looked as me for hope? The first time I looked at her and saw the most beautiful woman in the world? _Robin could remember every moment when Raven was beautiful; when her eyes were blue from the moonlight, when her movements were graceful, when she was angry, when she was hurt, when she needed to turn to him… when he needed to turn to her. There were moments, even short simple moments that were etched into Robin's heart, including the moment when Raven gave him that green plushy, tying it around his shoulder with utmost care. It was a hallmark, though she had given it to him before they were officially committed to each other, but it still marked something; when they both knew that something was there; that something that was beautiful was there.

Robin rose from his bed and headed for a shower, to brush his teeth and style his hair. He missed her feeling already. He wanted to hold her there, both of them under the beating heat of his shower. He wanted to hold her, to show her everything he meant to her in ways that words and kisses couldn't.

_Would she like my eyes if she saw them like this? Would she think I'm more handsome without my mask and without the stigma of a Titan? _They had never seen each other free of their uniforms, but they had seen much deeper than the Titans' leader and the resident mage. They had looked past the media glare, the circumstances of their powers, the tragedy that they both locked so deep away, and a little bit, Robin believed, they had changed what was dark and treacherous about them, Robin's past and Raven's pedigree, and made something that could overshadow what Slade had planned, what Trigon wanted done and what the Slade Syndicate would do.

Robin turned off the shower, grabbed his tower and dried off. His water from his feet made his skin stick slightly to the tiling of the bathroom floor, the press and peel gave music to his steps. Robin towel dried his hair and face then chest before wrapping the towel around his waist. The mirror was fogged from the heat until Robin wiped it clear. Before his deep irises could catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror, Robin dropped his head and replaced his mask.

_I want her to see everything, but as much as it hurts, what she needs, what I need… what we all need is Robin, the Titans' leader… the Boy Wonder. _Robin's masked eyes didn't show the range of emotion that ran through him, but he knew that she could see behind it and for now it would be good enough. _After we stop him, I'll let her see everything… that way our happy ending won't be interrupted._

The waiting hour ended and Robin climbed to the roof. He noticed how Celine's garden had expanded. The season for Snapdragons had ended, but Celine's special seeds were still throwing their color into the air. Day Lilies were scattered amongst the more exotic flowers but didn't seem a bit out of place. It was probably an accident of Celine's genius that she picked to grow flowers in the way the Titans' tended to grow. Amongst the more spectacular colors, the gentler ones still shined and all together the view was breathtaking. Starfire's blue bells, Aqualad's wintergreens, Speedy's sakura blossoms (the significance which was lost on no one.) and Robin's…

Robin stopped in the middle of the garden when he saw Raven sitting in a hazard of color. The snapdragons were gold mostly arranged in a circle like an engagement ring. Raven leaned forward, her pale finger touching what would be the stone of the ring, the soft red petals contrasted smoothly against Raven's skin.

Robin couldn't bear to just watch her. He came and sat down behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin nestled into her collar.

"Aren't they lovely?" Raven asked.

"They pale in contrast." Robin responded.

Raven's fingers didn't stop petting the flower. Even though she had prepared for this moment, she had ignored all the pampering and priming from Sakura and Celine. She wasn't wearing her dress and she wasn't wearing any makeup. They were natural together, sitting in an unnatural circle of flowers. Robin's right leg was pressed against Raven's while the left was bent at the knee flush against Raven's shoulder.

"I had a lot of things planned for us today… but none of seems as right as sitting here with you."

"I wanted to spend every moment of today with you, Robin."

"I was worried you wouldn't want to celebrate… because of tomorrow"

"Nothing in the world can mess this up for us Robin… not Trigon, not Slade, nothing"

"I… I got you a gift… but somehow it doesn't feel right giving it to you… somehow it feels like a going away present."

"I'm not going anywhere Robin… not tonight…"

"I know, Raven. I know."

…

No one dared to venture to the roof that day. When Celine had realized they were up there together, she had blocked off the area and promised the pain of her FireFly if anyone interrupted.

Beneath the roof, the Titans wound down in their training. Their bodies were hot and tired from weeks of intense training. D'ucel had shown Star how to feel like he did and was excited to find that she had the potential to feel as much as he did. The passion of battle pouring in from all sides made the power they had gathered in their training intensify and Starfire proved to have a battle fury that Foxfire had to focus to keep up with.

When the sun was beginning to go down, Blackfire pulled her head from Aqualad's shoulder and led him back to his bedroom. Speedy's fingers locked into Sakura's as she finished wrapping his wrist with tape. Her brown eyes looked up into his masked ones and knew everything she ever wanted.

Bumble Bee arrived that night and stayed in Celine's room because it became obvious that Sakura wouldn't be sleeping in her bed that night. From the looks that Cyborg and Celine were giving each other from across the room, Bumble Bee wasn't sure if Celine would be staying in her own room either.

Beast Boy went to bed with thoughts of her, touching his heart.

…

Somehow hours had passed and Robin found himself waking up. He was lying on his back, the sunset drifting into completion. His fingers spread out and didn't find heat from Raven's body. He sat up and then stood up when he didn't catch of glimpse of his girl.

Robin stood on the roof bathing in the sunlight. He had expected to find Raven there and from the smell and feel of the air, he had just missed her.

"Raven?" Robin whispered.

_In my room._ Raven's voice was like a cold spill of silk against his body. It sent shudders into his heart, his whole body trembled with it. Robin walked briskly down the stairs.

_If that's the way it is, than that's the way it is._ Robin passed Celine as she dropped her back against Cyborg's door. Celine's eyes caught him and a hand reached out for him. "Oh, Robin!"

Robin hesitated to stop but did. "What is it Omicron?"

"I finished those specifications for your weapons upgrades. I'll bring them to the meeting tomorrow."

"Right."

"By the way, did Raven figure out where the Syndicate is waiting?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought to ask her."

"Well I did. Slade drew a map on the inside of the envelope. I meant to tell you earlier but…"

"Thanks Celine. I understand. Have you changed your mind about coming with us?" Robin asked.

"No, someone's got to watch the tower and I'm sure I can be more help from my station. We don't know anything about this Cave of Serin and considering we don't know much about what we're up against, an unobstructed view would be best."

"Alright. I'll find you tomorrow before the meeting. Get some sleep alright?"

Celine nodded, balling one hand inside the other as she went to her room to finish some last minute adjustments.

Robin made it to Raven's room. The door slid open, he slid inside. The room was dark, it was always dark, but it was how Raven was comfortable. The candles around the room emitted pale white fire, the room felt haunting and warm and every ounce Raven.

Raven wasn't inside. Robin scratched his head, walking to the center of the room. He didn't have time to think about where she was when she showed up. She appeared from thin air, returning to this dimension in a wisp of smoke. Her hood was up and her braid fell over her shoulder. Against the darkness of the room, her eyes were lit like fire.

Robin and Raven met in the middle of her bedroom. Robin's hands reached up and pulled down her hood. Her eyes looked so much softer when they were settled against the backdrop of her skin.

Robin couldn't see what Raven felt that moment. In her chest her heart beat was quickening, in her mind KnowledgE wasn't protesting, BravE was understanding and HOPE danced alone wherever she was. Raven had left Robin to sleep and had gone to meditate one last time. She wished to see HOPE again, if only for a little while, but KnowledgE and BravE wanted her attention and they got it.

Robin didn't let her think about the uncertainty in her mind. His fingers unbraided her hair, letting the strands shake free, making her forget what she saw and what they said. She could only see Robin and she could only feel Robin.

Their lips met. This kiss was different, from the moment Raven's lips met Robin's, Robin felt something totally unique about it. It was different, it was good and Raven kept giving it to him. Raven had never kissed him so heatedly, it shocked Robin, but he was enthusiastic. His hands cupped her face as her hands weaved into his hair.

Intimacy for Robin and Raven, until that moment had consisted of Robin sleeping with his head in Raven's lap, talks until three in the morning, holding hands and those innocent little kisses where their eyes were closed and so were their mouths.

This kiss was different. Raven's cheeks were flushed, Robin's eyes were half-lidded and their lips were bruised. It would be a waste of time to ask who made the first move, whether Robin back peddled or Raven pushed her boyfriend backwards, because neither knew and either way they ended up on the bed together. The back of Robin's knees hit Raven's mattress and shortly following his back hit it as well. Robin's mouth was pulled away from hers, it left a tingling sensation that she needed to satisfy. Her knees landed on either side of his hips. Robin sat up quickly, his breaths were powerful but silent, his chest pushing and retreating. She felt every tremor of his body as his fingers pulled the cloak away from her shoulders. His lips found her neck as her breath drenched his skin. Every touch was gentle every look was intense. Her heartbeat drummed, the tempo hazardous, matching his in this new dance.

Raven's fingers pushed Robin back to the mattress, making Robin's fingers reach up to pull at her leotard, exposing her back. His fingers smooth down the skin then up again to draw her leotard away from her shoulder. Raven reached for his mask.

And at the same time they stopped.

His breathing was labored, her heart beat was frenzied. She swallowed hard, her fingers relaxing against the fabric of his mask and his digits untwined from the fabric of her uniform.

In that moment of clarity, someone knocked on Raven's door. Raven turned her eyes away; away from the door and away from Robin. Robin sat up, his shoulder becoming a rest for her chin. Robin hugged her close; their breaths shuddered together as Raven rubbed her cheek against Robin's.

Their bodies relaxed, the sensations cooled and they both were glad for it. That had been wonderful, but they weren't ready. Robin laid back again, his hold on Raven pulled her on top of him. His lips pressed against her forehead as his fingers rubbed gently along her back. Somehow, just then, it hit her.

"You know how to dance, don't you?" Raven whispered.

Robin nodded.

"But when we danced together, on Starfire's birthday… you were as bad as me."

"You wouldn't have danced with me otherwise."

In the low light, Robin couldn't see Raven's blush.

"Did you know then?"

"I don't know." Robin replied.

Raven nodded. _Good._

Whoever knocked hadn't found it important enough to knock again. Raven feel asleep on Robin's chest, in her room, in their love.

…

And the day came.

The Titans gathered at first light. Aqualad clenched Blackfire's hand as they all listened to Celine's information. The Cave of Serin opened just miles from Jump City, but getting to the opening required first traveling through the old town library. They would have to travel again to the place that made Raven's marks glow and further still. Speedy nodded his head, his bow clenched tightly. Sakura's fingers were tight along her hiraikotsu. Starfire steadied her heart, Beast Boy steadied his will and D'ucel focused all the emotions running through the room into himself.

Terra sat in the middle of the floor, her shoulder brushing Cyborg's leg. Celine could see the blonde girl watching her, from the corner of her eye. Celine finished explaining to Robin the specifics of his new weapon upgrades and went to her console. Her scouter slid over her eye before she caught Terra's attention. Terra rose at Celine's beckoning. Terra stood hesitantly, throwing her eye back to Robin before meeting Celine's gaze.

"Terra, I think we'd all understand if you didn't want to go… I mean with all that happened before---"

Terra leaned against Celine's machinery base. Celine watched Terra's feet tap nervously against the floor before bringing her eyes up when Terra began to speak.

"No, I need to go. I have to do my part with Slade."

Cyborg stepped closer, rubbing the back of his head. "Are **you** going to be okay by yourself?"

Celine smiled gently and Terra excused herself. "I'll be alright. I've got Bee… don't worry about me, just take care of yourself, alright?"

"I've got you watching my back… I'm pretty taken care of."

Celine nodded in agreement.

"Titans… lets go." Robin said.

…

The T-car was loaded with all those who couldn't fly, with the exception of Beast Boy and Terra. Beast Boy sat in the passenger seat, his gaze out the window as Terra kept pace on her boulder. Speedy was directly behind Beast Boy with Sakura sandwiched between him and Aqualad. Aqualad's gaze was in the air, watching the three Tameranians cut through the sky like bullets. The R-cycle roared as Robin led the way. His gaze was split between the road ahead and the air above and Raven moved silently against the wind.

Cutting through the darkest part of town lead them through the old town library. The T-car and the R-cycle were left behind at the building entrance, all of them moving by foot deep into the underlayer of the library and deeper still.

"Is this it?" Beast Boy asked when a cave mouth made itself present.

Raven nodded. "I think so… besides there's no where else to go." Raven moved forward and the rest of the Titans followed.

The inside of the cave was threateningly dark. Starfire raised her hand, the shadows creeping away against the green glow of her Starbolt. Star, Blackfire and D'ucel spread out, letting their power light the way as much as possible. The team moved forward, their eyes scanning the walls highlighted in blue and purple and green.

"This place is really creepy." Aqualad added.

"You said it." Beast Boy added, his eyes walking up and down the walls. It looked like the shadows were moving. Beast Boy swallowed hard and made sure to keep up.

As they were presented, the Titans traveled down spiraling stairs, their eyes darted about suspiciously, they had been traveling for twenty minutes and there was still no sign of Slade or any incoming attack.

"Titans, are you alright?" Celine's voice came through their communicators.

"Yeah. Nothing seems to be happening." Robin replied.

"That's not what my readouts are saying."

At the bottom of the stairs the cave lit up with blue flames painted against the wall. It was then that they could see what was causing Celine's worry.

Around their bodies the energy within them was glowing. A thin layer of black magic coiled around the hooded mystic and a pale white glow hummed against Sakura's skin. Terra looked down at her hands and found her yellow might was creeping from inside her and wrapping up her body. A light sheen of sweat covered Raven's face, but the mystic didn't seem to notice.

"What is going on?" Cyborg asked.

"Raven, are you alright?" Robin asked.

"I feel fine."

"But you're sweating and you're glowing. So is Sakura and Terra."

"I don't feel warm." Sakura said.

"Me either. But this is really weird."

"Why are they glowing?" Beast Boy asked, his hand traced down Terra's arm, his fingers passed right along the glow, but didn't feel a thing.

"And why just them?" Speedy asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with this cave or their power."

Against the wall Robin caught the sight of something moving. Something very fast. Something far too fast to be good. His ears were sharp, underneath his feet he could hear something slipping through the faults in the ground. It was like the slither of a snake, it was like disaster waiting to happen.

"Celine," Robin said, pressing in the ear piece of his communicator. "What can you tell us about this place?"

"Not much I'm afraid. I'm still collecting research, but besides some of Raven's books, I've got nothing to work with. I'll let you know as soon as something comes up."

"Alright. I don't think it's safe to stay here. Lets keep moving."

Robin stayed close to Raven as the team moved forward. Speedy's eyes were distracted as the movement of shadows against the walls became more obvious. The other Titans noticed too; between three glowing girls and flash shadows, it became very apparent that they were in something they'd never encountered before.

The ground cracked open behind Aqualad's footsteps. The Atlantian teen turned his head back when his step was faltered and noticed a hole that definitely wasn't there before. He frowned. He grimaced when the ground began to shake beneath him.

"Whoa! The ground is breaking apart!"

The earth splintered and fractured beneath the Titans, the ground crashed against itself creating uplifted platforms and sunken levels. Robin shifted his weight in his steps to keep his balance.

"Terra! Can you calm it down?" Robin yelled to the blonde Geomancer.

"Laaa!" Terra raised her hands. The glow around her fingers intensified then faded. Some of the land shifted, but couldn't be calmed. Terra looked down at her hands with utter confusion written on her face. _Huh?_

"She can't stop it! We must be dealing with something really strong to block Terra's power!"

"Whatever it is, we need to get out of here!" Cyborg replied.

The Titans that could fly grabbed those who couldn't and lifted them all to higher ground. Blackfire let go of Terra and Aqualad's hands just as Beast Boy's pterodactyl released Cyborg. Speedy and Sakura gave D'ucel and Star a thank you until all their words were silenced when Raven lowered Robin to the ground.

The Boy Wonder looked back at the lower landing, the earth wasn't settling. He could see in between the faults of the earth, black forms that were pushing the columns to raise and lower. He didn't like what he saw. He didn't like it one bit.

"Raven, any guesses on what's happening?"

"No, I don't know anything about this place really."

"Why is this place only affecting Raven, Terra and Sakura? I mean, I feel fine." Speedy said.

"Maybe it's just girls." Beast Boy said.

"But I am undamaged." Starfire replied.

Blackfire nodded. "I am unaffected as well."

"Maybe it's their powers." Aqualad posited.

"But I have powers and I, too, feel nothing. Perhaps because Komand'r, Starfire and I are aliens we are unaffected?" Foxfire added.

"But technically, Raven is an alien too. She's not from Earth."

"I think Aqualad is still onto something," Robin said. "The only connection between the girls is that they have extraordinary powers."

"Yeah, your powers are strong but common, Foxfire." Sakura added.

"So it's just that they're strong that's making them glow."

"I don't think it's a matter of strong, BB. All of us are strong some way. Their powers are just different. Wait, maybe it's where their powers come from."

"How do you mean?" Speedy asked.

"Well," Cyborg rubbed his chin. "Those three have to mediate to control their powers. We've all seen them do it and there's something strange about them. Each of their powers comes from someone else. They aren't innate and are ultimately controlled by something else."

"Right, Sakura got hers from the temple and Raven got hers from Trigon." Beast Boy agreed.

"But that doesn't explain Terra." Aqualad added.

"Oh right. She was born with those powers."

Terra clenched her fingers, the yellow glow intensifying. Pebbles and thin slates of rock shook and rumbled. Beast Boy furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's really weird." Beast Boy said.

Terra nodded. "I can still move the earth a little…"

Robin frowned, turning back to the lower ground. _Maybe it has something to do with those things I saw… _

"This doesn't make any sense." Cyborg said.

"Something tells me it will when we find Slade." Speedy said.

"So let's find him." Robin replied.

Their march onward continued, until something made them stop.

The black phantoms crept about, just out of their line of sight. Raven turned her head to look behind her. She had a terrible feeling she was being watched. The cave narrowed, a high arching corridor of jagged rock formations surrounded them on all sides. Robin had difficulty discerning what was shadow and what was something infinitely more terrifying. The rest of the Titans became aware of what was shifting just out of sight. Speedy readied his bow and Cyborg's cannon was charged.

The path was linear. The blue lights led the trail, lighting the way, probably thanks to Slade's Syndicate. The air was stiff, but Sakura swore she felt a chilling breeze. The three glowing girls marched; with each step their movements became heavier. Raven's sweating did not stop and Sakura's breathing became laboring.

In the middle of the corridor, Terra fainted. "Terra!"

"Titans!" Celine's voice came in through Cyborg's communicator.

"What is it Celine?"

"I found something in one of Raven's books. The Cave of Serin isn't just a portal realm."

"What do you mean?"

"Like all portals, this place is the link between multiple dimensions… but this one links more than just worlds. It's the union place of Light and Dark… of Heaven and Hell."

"The union of Heaven and Heck is under Jump City? Weird." Beast Boy muttered.

The other Titans frowned at him.

"Maybe the girls are being attack by their countering forces. Raven is feeling the light and Sakura is feeling the dark." Aqualad posited.

"And Terra?" Cyborg asked as he leaned down and scooped the unconscious girl into his arms.

"Maybe it's from when Raven and Sakura used their powers on her to get her out." Celine said.

"Or because between Heaven and Hell is the Earth." Raven said.

"Maybe that's why her powers didn't work, because the power of this place is stronger than Terra's own control." Speedy added.

"And the phantoms lurking about aren't helping." Raven added.

Robin swallowed hard and faced Raven. She nodded, then Cyborg nodded and the team pressed forward. It wasn't another few steps before Sakura stumbled, dropping to one knee.

"Sakura! Sakura are you okay?" Speedy crouched down beside her.

"I think so. I just felt really dizzy."

Speedy helped his girlfriend to her feet, pulling her arm over his shoulder. Robin turned to Raven again, but she showed no signs of fatigue. _Maybe because she's that much stronger than Sakura and Terra that she's able to fight it off more… _

"They're back." Aqualad said.

The group turned from their attention from the fallen Terra and the wounded Sakura to the shadows that were ripping against the wall.

Celine's voice rang loud and clear. "You guys, my scouter says something is coming at you! From the east and the west…"

"And below!" Starfire screamed when a black phantom hand snagged her left ankle. A darting bird-a-rang severed the grasp and Star flew higher out of range. But no where near out of danger.

The black and red phantoms spilled in from the walls, from the cave ceiling and the floor. They came in waves, massive waves that replaced themselves when they were cut by arrows, Blackbolts and bear claws. Raven blasted her dark powers, slicing through the phantoms. Sakura's Holy split them apart, the white ripping and clashing against their black forms. But they just kept coming.

Beneath Aqualad's feet the earth began to rumble. His dark eyes widened, Blackfire's swoop grabbed him before he could fall into the chasm ripping open beneath him.

"What is this? We went from fighting nothing to earth quakes and demon waves."

"And they keep coming." Blackfire added.

Robin slammed his bird-a-rangs together and continued to cut through the phantoms. Cyborg blasted away, his free arm securing the unconscious blonde to his shoulder.

"Celine, any idea where they're coming from?"

"No! But they aren't coming from we're you're going! Make a run for the northern passage. Be careful, the earth is becoming unstable. Those phantom energies are ripping the ground apart."

"Titans move!"

The team ran. Their footsteps were uneven as each had their own labors to weigh them down. Robin led the way, Raven keeping up in a strong run. Cyborg tried not to jostle his charge and Beast Boy tagged behind him. The Tameranians were in the air, Aqualad running beneath their shadows. Speedy and Sakura took up the rear, arrows splintering the phantoms brave enough to follow.

It happened the moment Speedy fired an arrow, the same moment Blackfire charged a Blackbolt to assist, the same moment that the glow around Raven's body shrunk away. In their speed they had no way to defend when a column of earth rose and smashed into Sakura who slammed into Speedy. The pair rolled and before the group could react, the earth split, raising one platform and dropping the one beneath Sakura and Speedy. There wasn't enough time for the Titans to react to their fading screams when Starfire added her own. From the wall a phantom emerged and grabbed her waist, pulling her into the stone. Blackfire sprung forward, grabbing her sister's flailing limbs. She pulled with all her strength but found herself, too, being pulled in by the phantom. D'ucel made a grab for Blackfire and Aqualad pulled at D'ucel's waist. All their struggles were for vane when all four of them were pulled into the wall.

Raven could only gasp as the cave floor crackled and purged, tossing the remaining Titans into the air and gravity brought them back down. Beast Boy's elbow struck a stone, the slab of earth sunk into the ground. Beast Boy's green eyes widened as the slab slid from sight. _That can not be good…_

And he was right. The floor lifted on a slant, becoming a sharp angle that left them all victims to gravity. Their yells echoed against the cave walls as they slid down the mostly smooth path. The trail turned and looped, the high speed leaving them at the course's mercy. The end of the path came and the edge seemed to spit them out. The trail shut itself behind them. The Titans rolled and crashed against the horizontal floor.

Robin pulled himself up first. "Are you guys okay?"

"I've been better." Cyborg said, rubbing his head.

"Ugh, where are we?"

"Where are the others?"

Robin tapped his communicator. "Celine, do you know where they others are? Are they okay?"

"I've got them located; they're all accounted for and for the most part no worse for wear."

"Where are they?"

"That I'm not really sure. The data I have on the Cave of Serin was not for any of the trails you're on. I think you're on your own as for how to get back."

"Keep us updated if you find anything out." Robin replied.

"Will do. Celine out."

Robin closed his communicator. Cyborg hefted Terra back to his shoulder.

"She doesn't know where the others are or where we are and how to get to Slade is anybody's guess."

"Umm, did anyone notice that this room doesn't have any exits?" Beast Boy asked.

The group looked around. Beast Boy was right. There were six passage ways but all were closed by a slab of earth. The sound of earth moving tore a gasp from all of them. Dust and rocks shook free from the roof. The rumble ricocheted from wall to wall, the grinding of stone against stone as the ceiling began to lower.

…

Sakura groaned as her consciousness returned to her. She was slow to pull herself up, her arms straining to lift her chest from the ground. Her brown eyes focused, catching the sight of Speedy's boot. She pulled herself to her feet, securing her weapon against her back.

Speedy was staring upwards. He turned to look back at her.

"You okay?"

Sakura nodded. Speedy turned halfway to face her, one hand pointing to the cliff ledges high above their heads. "I've looked around. We're down pretty deep from that fall."

"Where are we?"

"Don't know. But the only way out of here is up."

"And how do we do that?" Sakura asked, her raised eyebrows showing her reluctance to catch onto Speedy's obvious plan.

Speedy strung a grappling arrow and with his bow and let it rip. The arrow clutched just past the cliff edge. The red haired archer tugged on the line making sure it was secure. Sakura sweat dropped.

"Speedy."

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm securing a line for us to zip up."

"I think you're forgetting something." Sakura stated.

Speedy gave one final tug, satisfied with its steadfastness. "That you're terribly afraid of heights?"

Sakura nodded.

"No. Just ignoring it."

"Well I can't! There's no way I'm getting up there unless the ground beneath us lifts!"

"Well that's not going to happen. Something tells me we were separated for a reason."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, something has to be up. You're not glowing anymore."

Sakura looked down at her hands, turning the palm over. "I feel fine too."

"I'm starting to think that those phantom things were the cause. They stopped Terra's powers and now that they aren't around, you aren't glowing."

"Maybe. We should find the others and see if they figured out anything."

"There's only one way to do that, Sakura." Speedy gripped the line with one hand and stepped closer to Sakura.

"No, there's got to be another way!"

"No, there isn't."

"How… how do you know that's the right way?"

"As of right now, it's the only way. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do." Sakura replied, terribly aware of Speedy standing within kissing distance.

"I won't let you fall."

"It's not the fall I'm worried about. It's the stop at the end that gets me." Sakura replied.

Speedy smiled and Sakura knew she was in trouble. Speedy leaned forward, kissing Sakura on the mouth. Her shock was enough to let her guard down. Speedy grabbed her tightly by the waist.

Sakura gasped. "Chotto matte!" (Wait!)

Speedy released the stressor, catapulting them into the air. Sakura couldn't form a scream, her eyes clenched tightly and her face buried itself into Speedy's shoulder. The air rushed around her, throwing her black hair haphazardly.

The wind stopped, Their feet reached solid ground. Speedy smirked and let go of Sakura's waist. "That wasn't so bad was it?" Sakura collapsed to her knees.

"If we didn't have an apocalypse to stop, I'd pummel you."

Speedy helped her to her feet. "Come on. Let's try and find the others."

"Hai." (Yes)

…

The descending ceiling pushed down on them. Cyborg grunted and groaned trying to push the ceiling back up with brute force. His knees wobbled. Beast Boy's transformations couldn't push it up either.

"Oh man! I really wish Terra was awake right now!" Cyborg groaned.

Robin pushed as hard as he could, the ceiling dropped low enough that he could push against it. Raven expelled her energy, but the decent was insistent. Raven's power was collapsing. Her dark soul couldn't hold up the ceiling.

"We'll be crushed if we can't break apart the ceiling."

"My soul self can't penetrate it! The power here is too strong!"

Robin groaned when the ceiling sunk again, forcing him to one knee. Cyborg's parts squealed and eventually the green changeling couldn't risk another transformation and fell to his back.

"Robin!" The mystic was being crushed; she turned her face to the side, clenching her eyes closed. Her dark energy couldn't stop it.

"Raven!" Robin laid on his chest, his head turned and able to see Raven clawing pitifully searching for some power strong enough to---

"Ahh!"

The ceiling stopped. Beast Boy opened his eyes, the sharp rock that had been prodding into his chest wasn't pressing anymore… it was lifting up. The ceiling rose higher and higher, high enough for the green changeling to sit up. He rubbed his head and was the first to see her. She had risen to her knees, her breath racking her petite frame. Her power throbbed in her clenched hand.

"Terra!"

Terra rose finally, her hands fully extended above her head. The yellow glow to her eyes was fierce. "Laa!" With one finally shove she right the ceiling into place. The glow faded, her blue eyes shimmered.

"Terra, you overcame those phantoms!" Beast Boy grabbed the girl and hugged her.

"You saved our butts." Cyborg said.

"Dying here would make this whole trip pointless… so it's the least I could do."

"You did more than enough. You saved our lives." Robin replied.

Terra's eyes narrowed. Then Beast Boy's did.

"Did you hear that?" BB asked.

Cyborg's sonar picked up something as well. "I think it's the walls…"

"Are they collapsing again?"

"No," Raven pointed. "They're opening up."

Six sheets of the earth crumbled away, revealing six pitch black passage ways. Wind came pushing out of each of them. It tousled Raven's cloak, it pulled at Robin's hair.

"One of them has to lead to where we're going." Cyborg posited.

"We don't know that and without any outside information, we have no idea if any of them are safe." Robin replied.

"Then which way do we go?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven turned and pointed to the first door on the far left. There didn't seem to be anything particular to it to Robin, Beast Boy or Cyborg.

"Why that one?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about that way." Terra admitted.

"Exactly." Raven said, pulling up her hood. "We're heading for very bad things."

…

When their paths collided, it was momentous and terrible. Raven's party ran in from their corridor, just as a trap door opened and dropped Speedy and Sakura in. Aqualad and Blackfire were already present in the circular battle ground. But they were unconscious and Starfire looked one blow away from joining them. D'ucel was charging for another attack, he couldn't take much more, but he was ready to give until he got.

Robin's feet slid to a halt. Speedy picked himself up and Sakura shook the cobwebs from her head. Starfire's grimace held tight, her green eyes taken over with her power. Her stand was unsteady, but ready to give it her all…

Against the Slade Syndicate.

The backdrop was powerful enough to chill them to the bone. The syndicate stood in something akin to a line in front of the portal that Celine had told them about. It was massive, the color purple when it was closed, what horrible hue it would turn when opened was something none of them wished to think about.

"Hello Titans… I'm glad you could make it. I was beginning to wonder if my message was too cryptic… I wonder how long it was before Celine found the map. Did you throw your voice to sound like me, Robin?"

Speedy suppressed a shudder as he strung his bow. Robin stepped forward and let his eyes take in all before him. Slade stood front and center. His cold eye was locked on him, but the eyes of his companions were much more difficult to decipher.

"Oh, how rude of me. I should introduce you to my associates. I would have liked you to meet my Syndicate in full force, but I assure you all the primary players are in attendance."

Robin's eyes moved from face to face. Red X was obvious, he was perched menacingly on a short cliff to Slade's right. Only because Robin was intimately familiar with X did he know where the doppelganger's eyes were trained.

"Unfortunately, some of our less valuable members couldn't be in attendance. But I assure you, they're in a better place, doing very important things. But for now, the Slade Syndicate is comprised of four members. You're familiar with Red X… he does after all need no introduction."

X leapt down from his perch, stretching out in his inherited grace. "I've been waiting a long time Sunshine. Ready to go?"

Raven didn't hesitate to draw her power to her hands.

"Such a nasty temper Raven… it must be the demon inside you." X hissed.

Raven sneered, but Robin put a hand out, keeping the mystic back. They weren't moving forward until they knew everything about their opponent. Robin hoped that Celine was listening and gathering as much as she could to help.

"Demon inside you… I suppose that's a similarity you share with Tetris." Slade turned his head to the second member of his court. He was young with skin the same demon pale as Raven. His eyes and hair were pink… but in his eyes they could see nothing. Under the glow of his thin band crown, his irises were uniform, absolutely empty. He couldn't be older than seventeen, his garb told them just as much as his skin about his demon heritage. His energy frightened Raven, but somehow in the pit of her stomach, Raven knew that he wasn't a real threat, not yet.

"Tetris doesn't say much… but his actions say more than enough. He reminds me of someone else I know---"

"I've had enough of your foolery!" The third member of Slade's court turned to the Titans. "Surrender the girl or take the violent way to Hell!"

"And who are you?"

"I am Washu and I will be your destruction." Behind Washu flame soldiers and phantom demons were torn from the ground. The blacks and reds clashed with evil fury, their very presence spoiled the air. Wind erupted from the pool of their energy. Slade stood impassive while the wind tugged at both Washu's and Tetris' long locks.

"We've never been ones to take the path of least resistance. You aren't getting Raven. We're the Titans and you're going down."

"Those are quite brave words, Robin. But I doubt your ability to back them up. My forces are inexhaustible… can you say the same?"

Robin turned his head, taking in the sight of his team. Blackfire helped Aqualad to his feet and D'ucel stood strong against Starfire. Cyborg gave Robin a nod. The cybernetic Titan exposed his beam cannon. The front he put up, that they all put up, was brave. They were all battered a little already; from the fall, from the crushing, from whatever had taken down Blackfire and Aqualad. Sakura tightened her grip on her hiraikotsu and Beast Boy was preparing to unleash the Beast Within.

And there was Raven, her eyes narrowed and focused. The dark power could block the sun, spoil the land, scour the universe… but now it was going to save; it was going to save her life, save her future, save all the rest of their lives. Robin stood up as tall as he could.

"I can and I do. Titans GO!"

Washu waved his hand forward and the expendable masses of the Slade Syndicate sprang forward to meet the Titans head on. As the bolts of energy rained out, as fists smashed through forms, Robin stepped forward and engaged Slade first. Behind them the chaos of battle raged on, Raven's powers crumbled foes, Cyborg's cannon boomed and countering acts rained back and forth.

Robin narrowed his eyes at Slade.

"Somehow I always knew, at the end of this all; it would be me versus you." Robin said.

"Robin, you think so small. This is hardly the end… for me at least. What becomes of you will rest on how well Raven does her job."

Robin sneered. "You will fail Slade."

"No one fails destiny Robin. No matter how much you wish it wasn't so… Did you think that by kissing her good night that her very nature would be changed? Raven's DNA wants to bring about the apocalypse and demon genes are selfish. And on the inside, so is she."

"I don't believe that!"

"And that is why you fail."

Robin attacked. Slade drew his staff and met him head on. Their weapons sung against each other, the metal against metal echoed, but was lost in the frenzy of battle. The march of phantoms and flame soldiers occupied the Titans. Earth shattered and splintered, magic was thrown back and forth. Raven's purple eyes took in the entire battle scene as she battled against the pursuing phantoms; Robin was meeting Slade blow for blow, Speedy was hunting a tumbling Red X with his arrows as Sakura's hiraikotsu cut her enemies in half. Above everything, past Star's eyebeams and the charging Beast Within, Raven could see them; Washu and Tetris… and they were doing nothing… and to Raven, that appeared to be infinitely more dangerous than the fury of battle. She could feel it, just like she had before when Brother Blood attacked her. That sharp pain drummed into her head and left her vulnerable. A phantom made an attack, but Beast Boy's thundering fists intercepted.

Blackfire rained down blackbolts, clearing a path as the champion of Tameran crashed through waves of flame soldiers. Aqualad caught up with Red X, keeping the doppelganger occupied enough for a net arrow to take him down. The catch wouldn't last long, a sharp X freed the bandit and his cartwheel freed one hand to bombard Aqualad and Speedy both with thundering Xs. Starfire's raining starbolts made fleeing X's most appealing option.

"These things keep coming!" Cyborg said. "Celine, have you found any weaknesses in these guys?"

Back in the tower Celine's fingers darted rapidly over the keys, her systems nearly at capacity as she analyzed every bit of information that the energy meters picked up.

"Cyborg, some of these phantoms are naturally occurring, they aren't acting on orders… they're probably just as likely to attack us as the Slade Syndicate."

"Then why are they only attacking us?"

"Just like the flame soldiers, they're getting their message from somewhere else."

Sakura covered Cyborg's back, her weapon slicing through creeping flame soldiers. Their severed bodies collapsed to the ground hissing and scolding the earth.

"It's that creep Washu! I've got a really bad feeling about him… he's more than strong enough to control the horde!" Sakura added.

"If we cut him down---" Cyborg let his energy beam tear against his enemies.

Celine's voice came in loud and clear. "Then we stop the attack."

The two prepared to attack together, but Sakura was the one who heard Robin's groan when an attack by Slade took his breath away. "Robin!" Sakura leapt into the air, just high enough to give her the angle she needed. The giant boomerang sung through the air, just in front of Robin's body and at Slade's. The blow took Slade down but not out. The hiraikotsu returned. The half-Japanese girl tossed her arm back ready for another attack. Red X dove forward and tackled Sakura, the two rolled for dominance until Sakura managed to plant her boots into his stomach, hurling him over her head. Sakura pulled herself to her feet, just in time to see X tumble into the path of Robin. Robin's straight kick connected, catching his mimic in the gut.

In perfect unison, X and Robin balled their fists, taking the same fighting stance. Robin leered.

"I know who you are."

"I'm every strength you never acted on." X replied.

"You're every flaw that I'm going to bury."

Robin jumped, his right foot extended to deliver a brutal kick. X countered, managing to grab the Boy Wonder's foot and twisting it about the ankle, turning Robin's whole body into a spin. Robin's left leg kicked out before the spin finished, connecting with the side of Red X's head. Robin landed in nearly a split, one hand pressed against the ground, giving him the friction needed to spring forward and launch his next attack.

While X back flipped away from Robin's swings, Slade moved forward. With one hand Raven sent her fury into the battle, dark jets of her power cut through phantoms, but always one eye was fixed on Washu and Tetris… that was how she saw Cyborg's failed attack and missed Slade's sneak attack.

Terra ripped open a small chasm, separating Blackfire and an onslaught of flame soldiers. The stirring earth caught Cyborg's attention. "Yo Blackfire! Give me a lift!" The brunet Tameranian flew to his call, grabbing his free arm as the sonic cannon took aim.

"No!" Raven yelled, but before she could protect them, Cyborg's blast struck. The beam dispersed against the invisible barrier. Without turning his head, Washu charged energy, the backlash kicked back his cape, the energy was nearly invisible and too fast to evade. Cyborg's grunt and Blackfire's yell caught Aqualad and Starfire's ears. Star rescued Cyborg and Aqualad captured the fallen Blackfire. Aqualad crouched to the ground, shaking her.

"Blackfire! Blackfire!"

His concern would leave him victim to the phantom attacks. Raven watched Speedy's arrows cut down the demons circling around the collapsed Aqualad and Blackfire. His weapon could do nothing when Starfire was tackled and dragged to the ground. Robin's body skid into Speedy's, toppling the archer.

"You have the power to end this." Slade's voice was so close she could feel it. Raven turned sharply, her hands ripe with her demonic fury. "It's your fault they suffer… does it feel good that they fight for you?" Beast Boy was dog piled, his arms failing under the grasp of dozen flame fighters. "That they might die for you?" Slade continued. Fox shots rained down and blue eye beams ripped across the fighters, until two phantoms grabbed D'ucel and slammed him into a wall. "It could be all over if you say the word."

"You're wrong. It will take three! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

The black Raven bodies emerged from her, the pair nearly ten feet tall. With a point of her finger, Raven's own phantoms marched forward; one darting for Slade, the other went to challenge Washu.

Slade dodged and swung, his fire balls were ineffective and Raven's soul self kept coming. Her dark hand rose to strike, but the attack was interrupted when dozens of phantoms pour forward, from crevices in the ground and walls and latched onto the spirit form.

Though Slade escaped Raven, he couldn't evade Robin. The drop kick smashed along his chin. Robin slipped under Slade's guard, his smaller arm reaching under Slade's, the heavy limb served as a wrench, and Robin tossed his nemesis in a tag throw³, his whole body contributing to the slam. Slade sailed for a moment before turning his body and landing on his feet. His single eye widened, as he watched Sakura's approach. Her diving jump kick would have been too fast for any other person but Slade, the agile flame thrower somersaulted forward, taking him from Sakura's path and right back into Robin's. The spin kick crackled along Slade's mask, the force of the blow throwing Slade against a wall. Star's eye beams ripped along the wall and across Slade's form, the upkick of dirt taking him from sight.

Speedy's knock out arrow collided with Red X, knocking him onto his stomach. He lifted his head in time to watch Sakura's approach. Her thunder stomp connected, her boots planted into the small of Xs back. The force gave the girl a rebound, front flipping forward.

Her landing put her in position to see Washu make his move.

At that moment Raven's soul self engaged Washu's barrier. Raven groaned when the single mash against Washu's barrier collapsed her soul self and returned it to her. Raven's body trembled, but she could see that Washu's barrier had suffered as well. Raven's second self become stronger, freeing itself from the phantoms, their energy dissipating under Raven's wrath. The solitary soul self floated forward, both hands extended and clawed at the barrier. Raven strained under the force, her hands jutted forward to give her soul self more strength. The barrier screeched and opened, the massive soul self reached in and made contact with Washu.

The explosion was unparalleled. In one moment, when Raven's soul self encountered Washu, the energy of the fight tore through the cave. White light blinded them all, and from her control panel, Celine became terribly frightened.

Celine's fingers whizzed and drummed, her output monitor whorled in agony, trying to analyze the pure power. Above her head an alarm went off. Behind her Bumble Bee gasped. Someone had infiltrated the tower.

"Bee!" Celine turned to her friend.

"I'm on it!" The dark haired girl exposed her wings and charged out the room.

None of the Titans in the cave of Serin heard Celine; none of them could spare the attention. The reacting light blinded them all. When the air cleared, Blackfire uncovered her eyes and saw that while Washu still stood Raven did not. The long haired mystic collapsed to her knees, all of her energy retreated and shriveled into her body.

"That is enough games." Washu said and for the first time the Titans could see him charging his terrible grey power. "It is time to end this."

His energy swept through the cave, every crushing life form in its path. The flame soldiers crumbled and the phantoms vanished. Speedy's eyes widened as the power headed toward him and was saved by destruction by Starfire swooping in. Speedy watched the energy trail him, getting closer even as Star flew her maximum speed. The Titans ran backwards, covering one half of the cave before Washu's might descended.

Robin was the first to gasp, when the magic of Washu was in inch from his face… and stopped. The white shield was protecting him… protecting all of them.

Sakura's breathing was labored, she had never made a barrier so large, to protect so many lives. Her fingers were static as the Holy energy stopped Washu's dark will. The other Titans were in awe as her magic held up. Raven pulled herself up.

Washu was not so pleased. His attack rapped against Sakura's Holy, but couldn't penetrate. Behind the Titans, the rumblings of more phantoms emerged and the awe was cut short. The Titans returned to the fray, behind their backs Sakura's will kept Washu out.

Washu continued to bombard the fierce white energy. He had seen energy like that once before and then he had been too weak to fight it away. The memory burned him and intensified the fury. Sakura could feel the power nearly doubling, but her energy was not backing down. The wall of pure energy held from the ceiling to the floor and wasn't giving in. Not to him. Washu turned to his companion. Tetris' gold crown shimmered and without a word the dead-eyed teenager moved forward.

Behind her, the ruckus of the fight waged on. Slade, who had been on Sakura's side of the barrier, went on the offensive, pitching Beast Boy aside with a fire ball. Speedy stepped in, using his bow to challenge Slade's staff. Slade's solitary eye narrowed before the older masked fighter leapt into the air, dropping his heel in a spin kick, clashing against Speedy's bow. The weapon cracked, Speedy's eyes widened in shock and Slade attacked again. The straight kick delivered the severing blow; the splinters of metal shattered into the air as Slade's boot knocked Speedy's head back, lifting the archer off his feet.

A strange energy rippled along Celine's energy output reader. Her dark eyes narrowed, leaning in. Her scouter wasn't picking up anything new, but the energy reading was soaring through the roof. Her console was starting to alarm as the power grids were insufficient to assess the power surges. She had only seen power expelling like that once before against Dr. Light… but Raven wasn't putting forward any more power…

Celine's brow furrowed. _That doesn't…_ Celine's thoughts were cut short by a faint sound; it was distinct even over the whirl of her computers. Celine swore she heard a ticking.

"What? … What is that?"

The sound intensified and became something infinitely more terrible. It became Celine's scream.

"Ahhh!"

Cyborg's parts shook. His communicator buzzed in static, the sharp screech of interrupted feed drummed into the ears of all the Titans. Cyborg steadied his feet.

"Celine! Celine! Are you alright? Omicron! Answer me!"

The sharp screech made Sakura close her eyes, it made her make her mistake. Her eyes opened and there he was his dead eyes unseeing. Sakura's eyes widened when Tetris walked through her barrier. She was helpless when his arm swung out, delivering a chop to her neck. The instance of impact, Sakura's consciousness was stolen; the half-Japanese girl fell to the ground. Tetris stood over her, his clothes tugged by the incoming wrath of Washu.

The dark matter stormed through the air, hurling Star, Blackfire and D'ucel against the cave walls. Robin's body crashed into Aqualad, the pair tumbling backwards from the shot. Cyborg and Beast Boy smashed against the ground. Slade remained still and Raven shielded her face with her arms. Raven's feet slid, her heels digging tracks into the cave ground.

The onslaught ended, Raven and the Slade Syndicate the only ones still on their feet. Raven uncrossed her arms, around her, her friends were lying in varying states of consciousness. Raven's barrier had protected her, but not much, Washu's attack left her panting. Her hair was frazzled, her cheeks wind whipped and battered. Her eyes were dark.

Raven's soul self began to emerge, the dark figure pulling from her chest. Washu narrowed his eyebrows, his lips twisted in a sinister grin. With one hand extended, a lashing belt of dark energy came at Raven, aimed at the precious power she was extending forward.

Raven couldn't pull back fast enough, couldn't ready a barrier in time; couldn't do anything to defend herself…

So he defended for her.

Raven didn't know how it happened, how he had pulled himself up so quickly, but he had. Raven's eyes widened as her body was thrown to the side, out of danger, if only for the moment. Raven's eyes shock with worry as the blow meant for her, crashed into Robin.

The light was possibly the brightest thing the Titans had ever seen. As they pulled their battered bodies from the floor, all but the unconscious siblings saw it. The blow struck Robin in the chest, dead center, directly in his heart. And in the moment that the black coil connected an energy so bright and beautiful emerged, it took all of their breaths away. Robin's body shook as the pure gold sphere of his life force was pulled from him, his body becoming stiff when the final waves of his spirit were pulled forth.

His body crashed to the ground, but only Raven saw it. Every other eye was transfixed by the absolute radiance of the golden sphere of energy, floating above the collapsed form of the Boy Wonder. Washu's eyes widened, he had never seen an energy so magnificent and he had stolen the life force of many.

The ball floated in its loose sphere, Starfire shielded her eyes to minimize the blinding. Under the guard of her hand she could see Raven, huddled over the Boy Wonder. She and the dead-eyed Tetris the only ones not lost in the awe.

"Robin! Robin! Wake up! Wake up!"

Tears were running down her eyes. Robin was breathing, but so shallowly it was but a prayer from Raven's soul that it was there and not a figment of her hope. Her heart pounded in her chest. His skin was cold under her fingers, he was almost weightless. "Robin! Robin! Wake up! Get up!"

Slade was the first to pull away, his eye throwing from Raven to Washu.

"Washu! Their defenses are down! Attack!"

But Washu was frozen. He had to have it. Raven's tear soaked face rose when the gold energy that was hanging above Robin was pulled away, darting across the room and into Washu's possession. The cold demon stared at it, marveling at it as it shrunk in size to fit into his collection. Slade ran to the demon's side, his powerful body tight with demand.

"Washu! Quickly! Acquire your gem!"

Washu's eyes widened and he remembered himself. His fingers waved a command and Tetris followed the order. It was something as simple as a flick of a wrist as pink waves, the color of his eyes and hair fanned out with one target. Raven was lost in worry and unprepared when a new attack smashed into her. The force of the blow threw her a few feet away. The mystic slammed into the ground, a short groan escaping her lips as her consciousness was stolen away.

_The Titans will get stronger to protect you, you'll get stronger to defend us… and **we'll** get our happy ending Raven… I promise._

The Titans struggled to their feet. They watched in horror as a ring of blue flames surrounded the helpless Raven. Phantoms encircled her in a black ring as frightening as the flames. Beast Boy staggered to his feet, a bruise along the side of his head made it difficult to see. He braced his hand on a tall rock formation, beneath his fingers the earth rumbled. His green eyes darted forward and watched with surprise.

"Laaa!"

The earth under Raven lifted as a jagged platform of the earth. Cyborg pulled himself wearily from the floor, he could see Terra's hands glowing; her eyes were glowing as she pulled Raven's helpless form up from the claws of the phantoms from the cave. Terra stepped forward, one hand extended, coming closer and closer to Raven. The phantoms shook away as the geomancer's power took full control of the raised bed.

"Alright Terra!" Beast Boy shouted. He watched his friend in total excitement. She had total control…

She had tricked them.

Beast Boy's face dropped when Terra didn't bring Raven to safety, but instead moved the fragile mystic to Washu's side. All the Titans stood petrified in disbelief.

_Terra… no…_

Slade turned from Washu to Terra as she stepped right in front of them. Her smile was cruel, his gaze was knowing.

"Very good Terra… but then again, you always were."

Terra's grin became feral. "The best… they fall for it every time."

"No!" Beast Boy yelled.

Cyborg drew his beam cannon. Starfire's fury began to pour from her. Sakura's eyes strained to open, she struggled to her feet, the pain in her head was throbbing. Her eyes focused, just in time to see Washu's attack.

"We have the girl, let's go." Slade commanded.

Washu nodded, with a wave of his hand the portal behind them raised to opened. The cave became darker as the gapping portal wall slide upwards, the rock groaning and straining against itself. Washu began his decent into the cave, with a single flick of his hand Tetris turned and shot forward another devastating energy blast. The Titans were thrown, consciousness leaking from them one at a time.

The Holy energy protected her, the dark waves repelled from Sakura, dispersing into the air. She was weak, barely able to pull herself to her knees, while the rest of the Titans collapsed around her. Her eyes fought around Tetris' attack and through the blind of her own Holy. Slade disappeared; Red X vanished into the darkness. Tetris turned around and followed, in slow movements, unrushed and uncontrolled.

And Terra turned, giving one cruel look as she floated Raven's platform into the darkness. Those eyes were blue, and against the backdrop of the portal door sliding shut, they were that much crueler. Sakura gritted her teeth.

"Kisama!" (You!)

Speedy would be the only one conscious to see it all. Terra slid finally into the darkness of the portal, stealing with her Raven and the innocence of the family of Titans. The portal door dropped, taking inch after inch of escape. It would close soon and they would lose Raven forever…

And Sakura as well.

Speedy wanted to call out to her not to run, but she did. Sakura ran and when there was only two feet between the ground and the portal door, Sakura slid in, her hand clearing just before the portal closed shut. Speedy finally fell victim to his exhaustion…

And the world plunged into darkness.

…

At the base of the portal transition, the Slade Syndicate stopped. Washu turned to the fallen Raven and used his power to lift her unconscious form, wrapping her in his dark energy. She floated parallel to the ground, it was haunting… it was every intention of the demon wizard.

Terra let the earth crumble away when it no long held her capture. She dusted her shoulder off. Red X turned his head to her.

"You did it Sunshine."³

"That you did. I'm very proud of you, Terra."

"I bet. We've got Raven… the Titans are probably still crushed from the shock… why don't we go back and destroy them now so they don't interfere?"

"My dear girl, you have all the power in the world, but absolutely no appreciation for life. Isn't there something beautiful about the vainest struggles for survival?"

"Haa!"

The blast of Holy energy blinded the room. Slade, Red X and Terra were thrown back by the surge of energy. Terra landed on her back. She quickly pushed herself to her elbows, shaking the cobwebs from her head with her hand. Her blue eyes narrowed as she took in Sakura. The half-Japanese girl looked an inch away from falling over. Her breathing was hard and she was holding a wounded shoulder. The pure energy was flexing and fading from her control. Washu stared down at the girl, watching how her hold on her energy was failing her.

"Take care of this insignificance."

Terra and Slade pulled themselves to their feet. Red X didn't. Terra barely spared him a look before she dusted off her arms.

"I should have figured one of the Titans would prove to be a bigger idiot than the rest of them. And I'm glad it's you Sakura, I've always wanted to tear you apart."

Sakura sneered.

"Oh? What's this Sakura? Your Holy power wearing you out? Its just like I told you Slade… really powerful… but absolutely no control."

Sakura attacked.

Terra wasn't fast enough to stop the fist that connected with her face. Slade was surprised by the speed of the obviously wounded girl. _If she fights like this weakened…_

His thoughts were interrupted when a fist hammered down on his shoulder. He staggered back, right into a combination bow and arrow kick, Sakura's boot slamming into his chest. Sakura landed in a spider crouch, underneath her the ground tore open. The leather clad fighter rolled to her side and just to the edge of the ripping land.

Terra punched and Sakura countered; grabbing the traitor's wrist and pulling Terra's arm to off balance her, then using all her weight to push Terra's own fist into the blond girl's face. The blow stunned her and gave Sakura all the lee-way she needed to jerk her forward and downward, Terra's face crashing against Sakura's bent knee. The finishing closed fist backhand smashed across Terra's cheek, tossing her aside.⁴

Sakura stretched to her full height. Her Holy slowly charged to attack again. She only caught a brief glimpse of Washu before the demon mage waved his hand and a sweep of energy scrambled her psyche. Sakura gasped and grabbed her head.

Slade took his opportunity. The punch took Sakura's breath away. She could feel every single digit of Slade's right hand curled into her breadbasket. Her brown eyes widened as her muscles groaned and her knees gave out. She coughed and clenched her stomach. Slade stepped back and Terra stood beside him.

"This is Robin's sister." Terra pointed.

"She makes the same mistakes he does." Slade replied.

Sakura groaned, the earth beneath her was beginning to tug at her. Her pain stricken face turned upward and saw them looking down at her. Terra's leer would have been motivation enough, if she hadn't caught a glimpse of Raven's helpless figure floating at Washu's will. Sakura found the last of the strength within her to attack.

She leapt forward, much faster than Slade wanted to believe she was capable of. Her fury was apparent in her brown eyes. It almost mesmerized him, but that intensity was short lived.

The hand from the earth erupted and snaked around Sakura's left ankle, stopping the attack before she could get them in range. Sakura's head whipped to the side and then down at her captured leg. As her hand rose to smash the stone, Terra sprung forward.

It wouldn't be that easy. Sakura turned and had just enough leverage to parry Terra's strike, tossing her to the side. Sakura's head remained turned to watch the girl stumble for too long. Slade moved forward and attacked in a move that she couldn't parry. Sakura's scream rebounded off of every wall in the Cave of Serin. Had the other Titans been conscious, they would have heard it on the other side of the portal wall. Slade's elbow slammed down onto Sakura's thigh. The angle of the attack, the position the stone hand had her in and the sheer force of the strike gave Sakura's body no option, but to break.

Sakura dropped and the hand of the earth fell away. Her tears were like fire, to Slade it was testament to his power and to the beauty of tragedy. Terra stood beside him again, looking down at the crying, proud fighter.

There was no reaction time. The earth pulled over her like a wave. The last vision of Sakura, as the stone set closed around her, was her eyes closing and a thin white energy wrapping around her.

"What are we going to do with her?" Terra asked.

Slade rubbed his chin.

"I'm sure we can think of something creative. But first…" Slade's eye turned to the trapped Raven. His smile was hidden, but no less threatening. "We have a prophecy to enact."

The Syndicate had work to do.

"_The Titans will get stronger to protect you, you'll get stronger to defend us… and **we'll** get our happy ending Raven… I promise."_

The End of Chapter Ten

A/N

¹Bunnysquirrel posted the question in a review of why some names are capitalized at the beginning and end and why RAGE and HOPE were spelled with capital letters. The reason is as follows: in the beginning all the parts of her mind were isolated identities, in no way really connected to Raven. As she formed bonds with each one they stopped beginning separate things and started begin parts of her – so they were more like people than spirits. People capitalize the first letter of their names, to show that they were becoming a part of Raven's person the capitalizations were dropped out. Since none of them are perfectly apart of Raven's person, some capitalization is left to show that. RAGE and HOPE are not bonded to Raven; they are independent entities.

²Chapter Nine Part Two to be exact.

³Terra is Sunshine. Not Raven. Go back and look.

⁴ That's a really poor description of Julia Chang's Max Axes

Before you think to say that came out of left field, I suggest you reread the chapters starting with Terra Nostra for all the hints and clues I left for Terra's betrayal. I might highlight them in a special author's note, but you might have a better time if you go back and catch them yourself.


	36. Transient Part One

Transient

Part One

…

Her fists struck with all her power, but the wall would not give. She flew higher, her eye beams streamed across the portal gate, but it would not cave in. Blackfire's blackbolts couldn't tumble the wall, but the furious and determined Tameranian powerhouse wouldn't stop trying. Her grunts echoed off the cave walls and drummed into Speedy's ears as he finally gained consciousness. The masked archer rubbed his throbbing head, pulling himself into a sitting position. Through the haze of his mask he could make out Blackfire's attacks and D'ucel adding to the fray. The door didn't so much as chip under their onslaught, no matter how high Blackfire's eye beams flew or how forcefully Fox's punches connected.

The agile archer was sluggish for the first time in a long time. His knees wobbled, his fingers gripping the severed end of his formerly-trusty bow. In one stiff turn of his head he could see the whole cave. Blackfire and Fox attacking, Aqualad desperately trying to regain communication with Titans Tower; Beast Boy holding his fragile form as his own green eyes drifted from wall to wall. Speedy could see Cyborg, his shoulders and chest absolutely still. His parts were cooled and dull. Though both eyes were opened, Speedy couldn't tell if the cybernetic hero could see him.

But Speedy's eyes trained on one thing and stayed there. While his eyes watched her, Starfire stared down at her precious burden cradled in her arms. Robin's head was perfectly still in Starfire's lap. His chest was barely rising; the movement of his lungs was mechanical, driven only by his selfish instinct to exist. Robin's face was slack; the normally expressive features were flat. His skin was pale and unnatural and every ounce of boyish youth seemed to be just a memory.

Starfire's bright eyes were wavering, tears had long since stopped, but the sadness and concern was on display for the whole world to see. Speedy staggered forward, his feet taking him towards the alien girl, his right leg gave out and he stumbled. He reached the two who were as still as statues from the ground.

_Statues… ground… Terra… _

Speedy held his bruised chin, his face tightening with pain. He could see the hiraikotsu plunged into the cave wall not two feet above Beast Boy's head. The weapon looked as bruised as Speedy felt on the inside.

"They got Sakura."

Starfire's eyes closed slowly. "And Raven…"

"And Terra got us." Cyborg added as the life seemed to return to the mechanical fighter. Cyborg's feet were heavy, the ground exploding with sound with each tread. Speedy could see past Cyborg's imposing figure and see the green changeling who was collapsing with silent tears.

"How could she? How could see do this again?" Speedy asked.

"I do not know… This does not make sense…" Starfire whispered.

"We know everything we need to know." Cyborg said, his mouth a tight line. "The Syndicate has Raven… they've got all they need to start the end of the world. And we've got nothing."

Blackfire turned from the wall, Cyborg's angry words thrashing in her ears. She flew to the rest of the remaining Titans, D'ucel following behind her.

"Do not say that! We have not lost yet! We must find our friends!"

"How do we do that? We can't get past the portal door and even if we did, that door leads to multiple dimensions… without any more information we can't move forward."

Aqualad frowned deeply, closing down his communicator. Despite his best efforts he couldn't get in contact with Celine. All lines were down. "We've got nothing to go on, no way to go about it and no way of getting more information… Celine isn't answering her communicator… I think something bad happened to her." The Atlantian added. His dark eyes dulled with worry.

"Something bad's happened to all of us…" Beast Boy said in a low whisper. His voice wasn't so low that all the Titans couldn't hear him.

"We must not give up!" Blackfire shouted.

"Raven and Sakura are our friends. We must do something." Starfire added.

"The only thing we can do now… is regroup. With Raven and Sakura taken by the Syndicate… and with Terra feeding Slade on all our new weaknesses… we're sitting ducks for anything they throw at us."

"We can't leave them Cyborg!" Speedy yelled.

"I don't like it either, Speedy, and if I knew of any way to get in and get us **all** out, I'd be the first one in… but we don't know anything about what we're up against… especially with Terra on their side… And as it is… we aren't strong enough to fight another battle right now…" Cyborg's words were harsh and to all the Titans it looked like Speedy was going to argue more; to yell at Cyborg, to tell him that he was wrong. Cyborg didn't give him the chance. "Team… we've got to get out of here and gather our strength. Whether or not we come back and get our friends or if the end of the world comes first… there's nothing we can do when we're ready to fall apart. Speedy, you can barely stand; my parts are trashed and look at Robin!"

Starfire's face clenched in pain, her fingers clutching at the unmoving Boy Wonder as the Titans got a good look at him.

Aqualad put his hand on Speedy's shoulder. The red archer turned his face, the pain running through him was striking at more levels than he'd experienced in a long time.

"We can't do anything from here… Lets go back to the tower and recover… then we can work together and find out something we can do."

The cybernetic, interim Titans' leader turned his back and began to walk away. Starfire stood, cradling Robin. His body was slack; his knees hanging over Star's right arm, his shoulder's across her left. The Titans' leader's head flopped backwards, his neck craned and stressed, but he couldn't feel it; he couldn't feel anything as Starfire took her slow steps to follow Cyborg out of the cave.

Speedy's fingers clenched down at his sides. He wanted to scream. He wanted to charge, he wanted to do something except feel helpless. The remaining shards of his bow stung into his palms, his shoulders quaked with his anger. D'ucel moved forward and Aqualad pulled Blackfire along. Speedy might have stayed there longer if Beast Boy hadn't come into his sight. The shorter green morph moved closer to the archer, just close enough to reach his hand up touch Speedy's shoulder. Speedy didn't want to look into those green eyes and see the pain there. But he did… and it moved him… it moved him and Beast Boy both out of the cave.

Cyborg climbed into the T-car. Starfire gently placed herself in the passenger seat, holding the fragile Robin close. She couldn't feel his breathing against her neck and inside she feared the worst for her best friend. Blackfire and Aqualad crawled into the back, just as Beast Boy crawled in from the other side. The green changeling pulled his knees to his chest, his face buried in his legs. Speedy watched D'ucel take to the air, flying over the T-car as it moved forward.

Speedy put on Robin's helmet and revved the motor for the R-cycle. His back was heavy; Sakura's weapon loaded him down more than his bow ever did. The fractured pieces of Speedy's life crashed against each other as he knocked down the kickstand and followed the T-car back to the tower.

Everything but the roar of the motors was in perfect silence.

…

Terra's prize trailed behind her like a puppy. She left the boulder drag along the floor. She could have easily made the heavy stone float, but dragging the entrapped Sakura along the ground was infinitely more satisfying than flexing her power. Beside her Red X trailed, the doppelganger's eyes were trained on his Sunshine and underneath his cruel mask his devilish smile played. Tetris followed steadily behind his master, the pink haired ward of Washu carried Raven gently across his arms. His movements were absolutely mechanical, one foot in front of the other, no sway or swagger. Movement, forward progression and Slade found he liked that capacity for control. Slade's single eye admired Washu's absolute dominance over the half-demon Tetris, the boy's mind victim to Washu's will; Washu's will exerted through his slave crown.

While Slade admired Washu's power over his charge, Washu was fixated with the globe of golden energy he had stolen. He had watched in the energy pools of the universe, had seen magnificent brightness and failures in the same, but never had he come across energy so wondrous as that which he had stolen from Robin. He had been mistaken, when he watched the energy pool surrounding Raven, assuming that the gold body was a result of multiple dynamics, that the gold swerve of life energy was expelled just by Raven herself and the tremendous breadth of her powers. He had always been aware of Robin, Robin was the sole cause of his haste… and with the Titan out of commission Washu had no reason to rush.

"We have completed the first step. The girl has been acquired. How much needs to be done before we can begin?" Slade asked.

The response was silence, except the steady steps of Washu and Tetris as they continued to move forward. Slade stopped and in reaction, Terra and Red X stopped too.

"Washu, we are moving forward in our plans. I have done my part and gathered the girl. Until you perform your role with Raven, neither of us will get what we want."

Washu's free hand turned and with a flicker of his wrist, Tetris' direction changed. The mindless demon sire walked, Raven's body secure in his grasp. His face showed no emotion, even in the natural weakness of blinking, Tetris was static. Slade watched him move, disappearing into a corridor.

"Follow Tetris to the holding wing. The spoils of war will hold until I am ready… for now, I have something infinitely more interesting to occupy my thoughts."

Washu disappeared down another corridor, the shadows looking bright in contrast to his dark nature. Slade watched him go and Terra watched him, for command in their next move. "Take Sakura and place her with Raven. It seems we'll have more freedom in our movements than previously anticipated."

"Why do you want to keep her anyways Slade? You'll never be able to control her."

"Like I couldn't control you?"

Terra's smile picked up on one side of her face. "You can't control me Slade. I'm doing this because I want to… you aren't my boss. We're only working together because we have a similar goal."

"I don't seek revenge Terra. That is your goal."

Terra shook her head. "I said similar. Not the same."

"And do tell how are my personal plans are related to your desire for revenge?"

"Because they're both desires… and in the end, every action comes down to revenge."

Slade regarded the blond girl until she too disappeared down the corridor. Red X nodded his head.

"She's perfect." X's voice hummed mechanically.

"Hardly perfect… but quite exceptional at being bad."

…

Terra entered the holding chamber just in time to see Tetris gently lay Raven onto the ground. The mystic floated gently on her own accord, her energy moving in a way that Washu could not suppress; the natural force to survive. Terra watched Raven over Tetris, the half demon male remained perfectly still as his cold eyes stared down at Raven with no response to her presence. Sometimes Terra wondered if he was blind or just a puppet for Washu and not a living, breathing thing.

_It's not like it matters. We all gotta do what we gotta do to get what we want. Washu took away Tetris' conscious and I'm going to take every thing I can._

Terra opened her boulder smoothly. The huge fault let Sakura's body fall from it like the yolk from an egg. Sakura's body landed and stilled, the natural grace of the fighter unrepresented with the hazard of her body's arrangement. But despite what her position displayed, the internal fight of the unconscious girl was more than enough to show her strength. The Holy was active, just as Raven's demon power was within her. The coating was thin and weaker than many other times Terra had seen it. But the fact that she was seeing it all made Terra uneasy.

"Hey, any idea why she's still glowing?"

Tetris didn't acknowledge her. Terra frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh that's right, you don't talk. Not like it matters anyway… No Holy will guard the meek from the strong. With all the players wounded on your side," Terra's eyed locked on Sakura's still face. "All the Titans are meek and nothing will save them from **my** compassion."

…

Sakura had woken up two days ago, her body blinded by fever. Her sweating was nearly suffocating her and the pain thundering from her broken leg made breathing unbearable. Her Holy energy wasn't responding and considering where she was and how she got there, it had nothing to do with her not being able to focus… actually, it had everything to do with that… but something was making sure that she never gathered the fortitude to focus and break free.

When her fever broke, she saw him up close again. Her first reaction was to attack, but the pain in her head and the fracture in her bones made it impossible. It was when her head jerked back in pain that she became aware for the first time that besides Tetris, there was someone else in the room.

_Raven…_Every moment of the last fight came back to her. She remembered watching Terra betray the Titans, the Syndicate slipping away and Sakura acting in the only way she could: in the manner most likely to get her killed. She had fought Slade and Terra and had held her own until Washu interfered and Slade broke her leg… and that was how she was in her prison with a wounded Raven and no means to escape… she was in an unfamiliar place with enemies more treacherous than she could describe and, more than likely, a few days away from the end of the world…

And all that started with the attack from the half-demon in front of her, presenting her with her dinner. She had thought to put up a barrier to lock Tetris out. But when the weak white guard came up, Tetris's hand and arm penetrated it with no resistance; he continued to move Sakura's rations from his tray to the space in front of Sakura with no reaction to the barrier. It was like he didn't even notice it. Sakura's body told her, in the same way her mind did, that the barrier was useless against Tetris. He had proven it before.

Tetris's eyes were unblinking and the only thing Sakura found more unnerving than that dull stare was that nothing seemed to beat that expression. Sakura's hand darted out, her fingers latching onto Tetris' wrist. She didn't make a move to attack, just took control of it, forcing it to stop moving. Instead of knocking it away, instead of knocking her away, Tetris employed his other hand to finish his task. Sakura let go of his arm before he set out her last dish. Sakura could only stare at him, directly into his pink hued eyes and see oblivion. She could see it… Tetris wasn't working under his own will… someone was making him move, breathe, act… _Who controls your heart? _

Tetris exited. Sakura choked down her food. The taste made her tongue turn and rough coughs escaped her lungs. The pit of her stomach clenched and through the sting of tears in her eyes, Sakura could see tiny pebbles shift and split at her legs. Her face tightened and they came forward.

Deathstroke and Terra Nostra.

"You would think at your age you wouldn't be crying over spilled milk." Terra laughed.

"Kisama!" (You!)

As the idea entered her head to attack, the throb of suppression flashed and conquered her. A terrible pain racked her brain and Sakura struggled to keep her eyes open.

"You'll find attacking with any of your strengths will be quite fruitless. While your Holy is impressive, you haven't the ability to surpass Washu's neutralization of your powers." Slade said nonchalantly.

"I've fought things more powerful than some demon spell." Sakura sneered and her body looked ready to try another attack.

"Get over yourself Sakura! You think you are so tough, but you know what? You aren't. This whole time I was playing with you, making you think that I was weak so I could overthrow you… and it worked."

"You didn't beat me you traitor! You did nothing but show your true face… and betrayal is an ugly shade Terra… this time it won't rub off."

"I don't need your acceptance! I never needed the Titans. I used them; I showed them all what weak fools they were! You all acted like you were better than me and I proved to the rest of the world otherwise."

"We are better than you Terra. The Titans aren't going to let you get away with this!"

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, dear girl. You have so much faith in your friendships that it blinds you to the absolutes of the future. We will be successful in our goals and every single Titan will fall." Slade replied.

"I don't believe you! You don't know anything about us!"

"You forget, dear girl, I know everything about you." Slade answered.

Terra leered, her cruel smile twisting her features.

"Your team is destroyed Sakura. Even if we let you go, there's no place for you to go back to. Not to the tower, not to your precious friends… not to your cute, little Speedy." Terra grinned wickedly.

Sakura dove forward then, but was repelled by a slab of earth. The half-Japanese girl huffed from the excursion, her black bangs falling into her eyes. Her breaths came rapidly, harshly blowing through her nose. Her stare was fierce, if looks could kill, Terra would be in a million little pieces.

"You can't beat the Titans. You aren't going to win."

"My dear girl, I shudder to think how many times you're going to eat those words." Slade stepped forward, his face inches away from hers. "The end of days is coming Sakura. Raven will live out her destiny…" Sakura's eyes flickered for just a moment to the prone form of the purple haired mystic. Slade's next words commanded her attention. "And the rest of you will cease to live."

_Come on Sakura! Do something! You can't let them do this to Raven! You can't let them hurt anyone else!_

She ignored the pain of consequence and gathered every once of Holy surging within her body. The white ball sparkled gloriously as it concentrated, condensed and became nearly ready. Its glow would outlive its glory when the suppression wore down, meeting her strength and countering with doubled force… until it snatched away her consciousness. The glow faded from her fingers as she fell to the side. Slade used a single hand to roll the girl to her back, until she laid flat against the ground like Raven did only inches away.

"You want more from her than a witness Slade."

"What I want is nothing for you to concern yourself with." Slade replied.

"You can't control her."

"I've never tried to control anyone. All I do is present others with the course of action most appealing to me… and if they fail to see it my way… I suppose I don't need to tell you."

"She's waking up!"

Slade turned his attention from Terra to Raven as the girl groaned and rolled her neck. Terra swiftly raised a column of earth, blocking Slade from Raven's view. Terra dropped to her knees by Raven's head and made sure the first thing Raven saw was…

"Uhhh, Terra?" Raven's eyes widened slowly. Raven was disoriented for a few moments as her eyes and head adjusted to everything around her. She could see Terra's blue eyes looking down at her with worry. The pain in her head gave Raven a worry of her own.

"Terra… what happened?"

The blonde girl swallowed. "Raven it's terrible! We've been captured! You and me and Sakura! Our power let the Slade Syndicate catch us. But I think I can get us out! Come on!"

The feeling in her heart should have been enough of a warning. But the drowsy in her head made the voice in her heart a whisper, drowned out by the desire to repair. Terra offered her gloved hand down to Raven. Raven reached for it. Before anything made sense at all, Terra's hand pulled away and delivered a backhand slap across her cheek. The blow stung her face and stunned the mystic's mind. Her head turned and turned back. Terra laughed.

"I always wanted to do that."

As her eyes returned to meet Terra's, Raven could see Slade emerging from behind a column of earth. His dark eye was dancing with amusement.

"That was vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless… I am thoroughly impressed with you Terra. You were always meant to be one of the bad ones."

"That much is obvious… expect to those stupid Titans and birdie dumdum over here."

Raven sneered; her stiff fingers rubbed her cheek. Inside her power was bubbling, but quick and brutal attacks at her psyche kept her powerless. Her dark purple eyes seemed nearly black as they bore into Terra.

Terra rolled her eyes at Raven's tough front. Her voice was polluted with mock freight as she taunted the other girl. "Oh! I think RaeRae is getting angry… I better run away because my powers are so much weaker than hers!"

Terra narrowed her eyes. Beside Raven's fingers, her dominance to the land shattered the ground. The rocks tremored and the walls threw stones at Raven. Two small stones struck her face, but Raven didn't flinch or move. Slade found her display amusing.

"That's enough Terra. We do need her in one piece."

Terra stopped. "Consider yourself lucky you're needed for bigger things." Terra's laughter grated Raven's last nerve.

"You… you treacherous idiot!"

"You can hardly blame me for taking the opportunity to move up in the world. Did you expect all of us to stay sappy, stupid Titans forever? Some of us were meant for better things."

"Your choice of words is exceptionally appropriate." Slade mused. "Come Raven… we have a world of work to do."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

Slade turned his gaze to Sakura. Raven followed his gaze, her heart pounded when her eyes took in Sakura's prone form. She leaned over cautiously and tried to touch the sleeping girl. The arch of Holy repelled her contact.

"What did you do to her?"

Slade tapped his chin with a single finger. "Bad things, terrible things and we'll do even more to her… if you don't cooperate… now be a good girl and come with me."

Raven got up and followed. She gave Sakura a last look and stared, until Terra pushed her and moved her into the corridor. Raven's fingers flexed and throbbed, but she moved forward.

…

From nearly the beginning of her life, the universe resigned her to fail. And if Raven and the Universe were on the same side, she would have been glad for it. The shift and alignment of planets gathered the life of hundreds of thousands of creatures and if the Universe had any concept of selfishness, Raven's life would have been different.

Her eyes wavered; the new location was beginning to drain her resistance. She kept her head up, totally aware that an attack could come the moment she thought she felt safe…

_Safe? Not likely… I'm in a place I don't know… surrounded by treachery that I couldn't have found in my nightmares and the powers of this place keep my soul trapped. _Raven had tried unsuccessfully to steal into the desperation of her mind, if only to escape from the torment of her eyesight.

Terra sighed hard, her blonde hair falling over her right eye when her head rocked along the cup of her palm. Raven's questions and furious glares were beginning to wear Terra down. Slade told her to watch Raven and not to entertain her curiosity about the Syndicate's plans. Enduring Raven's contempt was beginning to bore the double crossing geomancer. And if she heard the word treacherous one more time she was physically going to be ill. Eventually Terra began to ignore Raven... until she struck a question that sparked Terra's interest.

"That one is really getting old Raven. I already told you I'm not telling that piece of information… I don't wanna ruin the surprise… but you already know the ending."

"You stupid traitor! Don't you understand what this means? If I bear the portal, the world ends! You won't get what you want!"

"I already got it, for the most part anyways. There are a few loose ends to tie up: like what I'm going to do to Sakura… and what we're going to do with you when we're done with you."

"There is no done with me Terra! If Trigon escapes, nothing else does!"

"Blah, blah, blah. You talk like I'm intimidated by your daddy."

"If you aren't then you're dumber than I thought." Raven replied.

"Then what does that make you, if I outsmarted you?" Terra asked, refusing to be bested by her capture.

Raven tried to jump forward, to strangle Terra's treacherous neck with her bare hands. The chain rattled, gripping her neck and forcing her back. Raven still didn't know how they had gotten it on her. The second she stepped into the room, the magical brace had coiled around her neck and before she could react to defend, the power coiled around her neck and dragged her to the ground. She had just enough pull to climb to her knees. She hated that she had to look up to stare into Terra's eyes and yell at her. From the ever present grin on her face, Terra enjoyed it immensely.

"Such a nasty temper… how did the Titans ever put up with you?"

Raven swallowed hard and saved her strength. Attacking now would get her nowhere, but saving every devious word Terra uttered would give Raven the fire to give the traitor every thing she had… when the moment came.

"I don't care why you did it Terra. I don't care if you feel satisfied and when I destroy you, I won't care if you feel regret… but I do care about my friends. What did you do to them?"

Terra stared down at her as if Raven was terminally stupid. "Your friends? Your friends?" Terra laughed incredulously. "God Raven, I'm still not sure you've got the concept down for friends. When you're strong like me… like you could have been… there aren't **friends**, Raven, there are alliances. I stuck with Slade to get what I want and Slade's working with Washu to get what he wants. Alliances make things fall into place. My part of the plan was flawless because my alliances gave me all the resources I needed to keep you idiots in the dark."

Raven sneered. _That's right… make her talk… she's going to slip and give you everything you need… just endure her treacherous venom for just a while longer._

"I sabotaged your team; I pretended to struggle with my power to slow down the growth yours. Did you really think I needed help from you, when you can't see an inch from your face? I can run circles around you… and I did, but you never saw all the things I could do… When I told Slade that you had been in my head… he had Washu block all your invasions… but you never even realized did you?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I never tried"

"Because we were such good **_friends_**?"

"For my part, yes…" Raven replied.

Terra balled her fist and came within an impulse to strike the mystic with her bare fist. Her voice was loud and angry. "Is that how you treat your friends? With distrust and scorn?"

Raven ignored Terra's outburst. _Keep talking you traitor… Tell me everything… Tell me they're okay…_ "What did you do to them; to my friends?"

Terra crossed her arms over her small chest. Her boney hips shifted to the side. Raven likened her to a small child trying to be grown up. Terra's words were nothing like a child's. "They all got what they had coming to them. You should have seen their faces Raven… the ones that were conscious anyway. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open. Their faces showed surprise and mine showed regret… regret that I couldn't crush them right there… that I wasn't going to crush them sooner."

"You couldn't have hated them all! Even you aren't that cruel."

Terra finally did hit her. She caught Raven's cheeks in one hand, making sure Raven's purple eyes met hers for every single word. "When will you get it, Raven? You don't know me! You didn't know me then and you will never know me! I like hurting your pathetic **friends**. I liked squashing Bumble Bee and breaking Starfire's heart. I wasted enough time watching Foxfire and Aqualad trample behind **Blackfire** like stupid dogs. You all made me sick to my stomach with your little epics."

Terra pushed Raven away: the sorceress landed on her side. Her long purple hair fell over her face as she pushed her arms beneath her. With her weight on one hand she used the other to push her tendrils of hair behind her ear.

"You were in an epic once… Did you come to hate Beast Boy?"

Terra narrowed her eyes. She had seen that one coming a mile away and hardened her heart against it. "Yes… He… I hate me… he didn't look at me the same as he did the first time."

Raven sneered. "Can you blame him?"

Terra nodded. "I do."

Raven removed all the weight from her arms and sat in the lotus position in the dead center of Terra's gaze. "You have a reason for all of them? Is there sick determination for your treacherous game?"

Terra rolled her eyes. "Again that word! Is treacherous the best word you can come up with? Come on Rae, you've **got** to have better adjectives than that!" Raven didn't respond. Terra laughed. "I hated them all. They all gave me reason to."

"Why Celine? No matter what you say about me, about any of us who remembered you for all the terrible things you've done… **she** was nice to you. She was your **friend**!"

Terra's fingers cracked at the joints. The tight flexing of her fists and the relaxing stressed the bones and made them pop. Terra's face was darker than Raven remembered seeing it in a long time. And she had seen Terra in her most vicious moments.

"You know why Celine." Terra answered.

"No, I don't, because that's a lie… You knew that she and Beast Boy were just friends." Raven replied.

Terra almost stated the fact that Raven knew exactly what she was talking about was proof enough. But in her mind there were memories, things that she used for the last shreds of justification. "No one is that good of friends unless they want something more… at least on one of their parts." Suddenly Terra laughed and frightened Raven from a few feet away. "Celine's the so-called smartest woman in the world… but she never saw it coming. I put a bomb under her energy console. She was so busy watching my feet, that she wasn't watching my hands. I lured her in close to the console… and then… Were you even awake then? To hear Celine scream? I know Cyborg was. The tinman nearly cried."

"No…" Raven whispered in denial.

"'Friad so Raven. Where is your team without your resident genius? Hmm. I suppose since there's been no pathetic attempt at rescue… Celine must be dead… Didn't mean to destroy her… but such is life… well, not in her case…"

_Celine… no…_

…

The travel through Jump City took them from the darkness of midnight to the roar of early morning. When they arrived... the sun was in their eyes... the sun that should have been blocked from the body of the Tower... the body that wasn't there.

D'ucel flew high above their heads as the Titans filed out of the T-car, their faces in frozen states of horror. D'ucel flew up every inch of the tower, his face tight with pain as his blue eyes took in the damage. The smoke was still clearing, leveling out the cool of the morning air. Titans' tower was perforated; the gaping wound on the right side of the tower, where many of their bedrooms resided, was at least seven stories high. Fragments of the formerly proud T were littering Titans' Island and still smoldering.

Speedy spun the R-cycle out and saw the wreckage behind the double blind of the helmet and his mask. He would be the only one who knew if he cried at the sight. They all knew that Blackfire did and continued to even as Aqualad pressed her head into his shoulder. He held the quivering girl and could see Starfire, nearly ready to collapse. She might have fainted from the pain, if she wasn't carrying something more vulnerable than her heart.

Cyborg's eyes scanned the wrecked tower from base to roof and back. All the times that the tower had been attacked, had been seized and violated… nothing compared to this. The intent to destroy was littered along the ground with the shattered pieces of glass.

The destruction reeked of Slade and Blood.

"Celine?" Beast Boy's whisper invoked absolute fear in Cyborg. The green changeling had difficulty keeping up as the cybernetic fighter made a mad dash into the fractured haven of the former teen Titans. The stairwell was bruised from toppling wreckage. Cyborg's fists broke through it, his parts becoming tangled in the fabric of the framework, his frame work, the very tower network he had helped design. His yells ricocheted off the walls and tore at Beast Boy's eardrums. The shorter Titan transformed into his Beast Within and hammered away at the damage in an intensity that would have scared Cyborg and Speedy if they weren't already scared enough.

The path cleared enough for Cyborg to brave it and it was a foot race from the base of the tower to the top. Behind him Speedy leapfrogged the barrage of debris that Cyborg threw from his path. Beast Boy dashed ahead, his hawk form immune to the shifts and shots of his fellow injured companion. His green eyes were unblinking as together he and Cyborg reached the top floor of Titans' tower.

When the door slid open, Cyborg and Beast Boy stood side by side… until Beast Boy dropped to his knees when he saw the wreckage.

It was destroyed: every computer, every appliance, every ounce of livelihood that the tower ever possessed. What had been a warm gray and red atmosphere was all smoke and debris. When Cyborg stepped inside just one pace, his foot landed in a stream of running water. The kitchen had erupted, the faucet propelling water like a geyser. His blue eye scanned across the room. He felt wind against his parts. The windows had been blown apart, glass fragments were lying in disarray and the portions of the roof that caved in were piled nearly three feet high and threatening to topple over and add to the chaos.

It was the hole in the roof that provided the sunlight. Cyborg stepped in, his throat tight as his eyes landed where Celine had last been, where her console had been… where every trace of her was crushed beneath the collapsed roof.

"No." Speedy caught up with Cyborg, supporting Beast Boy with one arm.

"Celine?"

Cyborg ran to the wreckage. His eyes could only see the sparking cables that had connected to Celine's console and the piles of roof fragment that his hands could grip and toss away. He would pull and throw, uncaring where it landed. He could only care about one thing…

"CELINE! CELINE! ANSWER ME!"

The pile began to thin and Speedy thought it more cautious to hold Beast Boy back rather than let him help. He didn't think the worried changeling would be able to survive… if Celine didn't.

Starfire made it to the common room. D'ucel flew in from the broken windows. Blackfire and Aqualad carried in Bumble Bee. The stripe clad fighter was wounded, but functional. Cyborg didn't notice, didn't care… all he could see was the tiny trace of her. Her hand was exposed, the appendage was tattered and scarred and probably broken in several places… but it was moving. The worn digits bounced up and down as if a signal or a plea. Cyborg's eyes were determined when he pulled the largest of the rubbish away and revealed Celine.

The Omicron was able to pull herself to her hands and knees unassisted. When her head pulled away from the ground the Titans could see why she hadn't been able to free herself. The red haired genius' face was tight with pain. Her eyes were focusing. She could see the remainder of the Titans standing around her, all their eyes mixed in worry and relief.

"Celine, are you alright?" Cyborg dropped down beside her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders.

She shifted her weight back and dropped her left hand to the side of her forehead where the pain was concentrated. Celine groaned, unable to answer. Her fingers slipped down over her eyes and she felt something sticky on her face. She drew the palm in front of her eyes and realized what the others had already. Across her forehead, in a slight curved shape was a deep gash, three inches long.

"What happened?" Cyborg asked.

"An attack on the tower… Bombs went off… Bee was fighting… I heard a ticking and my energy gauge was going crazy… Terra's power over threw it."

"Terra over threw us." Speedy replied.

"What?"

"Terra betrayed us… again… and we let her… again…" Beast Boy's voice could barely functional from the pain. He was the only one amongst them without physical wounds, but the pain he felt at that moment was something that few of them could parallel. It trampled through D'ucel and struck Starfire right between the eyes.

Celine collapsed and Cyborg caught her. Her head lolled forward until he could stand and scoop her into his arms. He hadn't taken to time to care whether the damage to the tower was all the way through and it probably wouldn't have mattered to Cyborg if he had to cut through every inch of debris in the way, he was going to take Celine to rest in the medic room… or whatever was left of it. Starfire followed behind him silently.

Speedy watched her go and let go of his hold on a shaking Beast Boy. Speedy's eyes saw what the rest of them could not. Beast Boy ran; ran to hide from what was right in front of them. Celine and Robin were out of commission. The tower was destroyed. Their spirits were crushed and Sakura and Raven were in the hands of their enemy…

And Terra was the one who had given them to them.

Speedy felt the full affects of the battle that moment and the agile archer dropped to one knee.

_Robin, Raven, Celine… Sakura… Sakura… please be safe… Please…_

Around him, Blackfire seemed to be mechanical. The dark haired girl moved from the wreckage, gathering large portions of it from one area and dumping it into another. As she passed one section to another, she righted chairs and closed cabinets. Her face held worry, but it seemed to be mixed with something more than despair… she was lost.

Aqualad watched her, saw how her eyes were so heavily lidded that she looked as if she were going to fall asleep. The Tameranian princess turned over the dining table, not even grunting. The weight wasn't near her maximum. Aqualad could only stand that dreadful stare, that blankness that he hadn't seen in a long time; not since the first night he met her when she was so painfully oblivious to the state of the world.

Aqualad caught Blackfire's hand just as she swept dust off the table with her hands.

"Moving things back isn't going to undo any of this Blackfire." Aqualad was sad to say it, but he couldn't let her be crushed with disappointment later when she realized her efforts were in vain.

"I do not attempt to… I can only hope that we can repair. It is as Cyborg said, we cannot attempt to rescue our friends… to help Robin and Celine… to save Sakura and Raven, if we need rescue ourselves. The sooner we remove this problem from our thoughts, the sooner we can give our true problem our full attention."

Aqualad let her hand go and moved to right the rest of the chairs and stools. D'ucel hefted the fragments of roof from the components of Celine's console. Even though her computers were in shambles, they were currently the only store for information that could help them… that could save their friends.

Speedy's eyes throbbed and the mask became slightly moist. He stood again and walked to the edge of the room. He unlatched the hiraikotsu from his back and laid the weapon gently against a battered wall. His fingers trailed down the course edge of it, his bare fingers scratching, drawing to him memory.

_Sakura… Sakura… I'll find you. Stay brave for me, like you always do… I promise I'll rescue you… if you don't think you can make it… don't worry… I can be strong enough for the both of us. _

Speedy left the wall behind and with one giant lift, tipped the couch back onto its legs. The recovery process began and in between the grunts of labor, the five Titans; Blackfire, Speedy, Bumble Bee, Aqualad and Foxfire put their minds and bodies together and started to try… to make it all make sense.

End of Part One.


	37. Transient Part Two

Transient

Part Two

Red X had noticed that between the three of them, they all seemed terribly occupied. Terra tore at Raven with words, hinting at Raven's role in the future, Slade studied Sakura from a distance and every waking minute Washu was consumed with his hall of stolen energy, his focus always on that thing he had stolen from Robin.

X had worried briefly that Washu would try to take the power that was within **him**, to see if his life energy glowed like the original stock. It had worried his down time for weeks before he realized that Washu couldn't tear his eyes away from Robin's energy long enough to consider getting more… especially when it was likely that X's own life force paled in comparison.

Despite the occupation of the others, X was rarely in solitude, when Tetris wasn't at the beck and call of Washu to maintain the lives of their spoils, Red X and Tetris occupied separate ends of the same space. X leaned against the wall of the Syndicate's hide out. It never mattered to him that between him and a difference of a million degrees was a single door: just as heaven was in a few steps of a curious travel, not that the idea appealed to him much. X's cape shifted when his right foot tapped along the wall, his arms tightening across his chest. Two rooms away from him, Slade was studying Sakura and that wicked Holy energy that Washu struggled to suppress.

X snorted in his mechanical tone. He knew that Slade wasn't interested in Sakura just because of her Holy. A lot of it had to do with her kin. Slade was obsessed with Robin; everything about the Boy Wonder: the way he lived, the way he thought and the things that mattered to him.

And that's why Slade collected things: Raven was Robin's heart, Sakura was his past and Red X… was his darkness.

It made sense to X that his attraction to Raven had been a genetic disposition. Robin swam in her, touching the girl had sent fire to every nerve in Red X's body and for the longest time he considered disobeying Slade and getting Raven before they gathered all their information because he didn't believe anything else in the world would give him that burn.

That was until he met Terra.

He knew Robin, the real Robin, who had a distinct character, memory and eye color, would never consider Terra as something to be desired. But X did. Slade's 'great work', as he heard Slade once refer to him, was programmed to be an apprentice; to desire what Slade desired, to want as Slade saw fit and that want was reduced to Terra; Slade's other pet project. He had taken readily to Sunshine, he was enraptured when he saw that sinister smile slide onto her face before she cleared it away to slip back amongst the Titans.

The component for self-actualization was in X, but it was so distorted that what should have disgusted him, the process of his creation, barely fazed him. He was programmed to be Red X, a fictional manifestation of a point in time of Robin that was fake, that wasn't who the Boy Wonder really was. Slade knew it, X knew it and so did Sunshine. Sunshine and Slade were too occupied to think about X, but X had plenty of time to determine himself and he found that his inherent flaws of design didn't bother him. His programming was based on a mangled concept that Slade forced upon Robin, but as far as programming went, X couldn't complain.

X's shielded eyes rolled to Tetris who stood static in the small space between where Washu studied and where Sakura slept. His pink eyes were dull and even more so against the backdrop of the gold band crown that wrapped around his forehead. X's head rocked a little and watched Tetris give no evidence of consequence. _At least I'm not programmed to be empty…_

…

For three months, the only thing Sakura saw was Tetris. She swore there was someone watching her whenever the pink-haired half demon brought in her food, but she knew that Tetris' eyes were unseeing and that his skin was unfeeling. She had tried talking to him, to get him to say something; that Raven was okay, that the Titans had escaped, what their plans were… but day after day and week after week, Tetris came and brought her food and made sure to say absolutely nothing.

Sakura felt the twinge in her leg when she rolled it softly to move into a new position. She had seen movement behind Tetris' back that he never appeared to be aware of. He looked at Sakura, but only as a bullet found its target, he never showed awareness.

_No one is born that way… something is doing that to him… and it might be whatever it is moving in the back… one of those phantoms? The demon wizard? Slade? _Deep in her gut, Sakura knew that there was more to Tetris than the delivery boy Washu used him for. Tetris was strong, Sakura had felt that and that brutal power was probably why Washu kept him as a pet. But no one that strong would so easily become a servant. _Washu did something to him… He has the power to… Just like he has the power to keep my Holy in check…_

Sakura watched Tetris put out her rough rations, taking her eyes from the demon playing in the background. Tetris was fluid, unwavering, more machine like than any of Celine's computers, more so than Cyborg's metal parts… _But this isn't a machine… there's something in there… If I could use my power, I could find it… Jericho, help me._

For a moment Sakura swore that the routine, unerring motions faltered in Tetris. Her eyes narrowed, she hadn't imagined it. Before she could think of what might had happened to Tetris, something became painfully obvious to her. Underneath the pink hair and against the grey skin, Tetris' eyes didn't seem to empty… it was when she saw the band crown adorning his head that she could feel the chill of void when she looked at him.

She didn't think. She hadn't considered the consequences, but she moved. Her fingers fanned out and grabbed. Her digits slid between Tetris' flat forehead and the thin spiral of his band crown.

The reaction was explosive, literally. The second her fingers came in contract with Tetris' garb, the Holy power surged and escaped. The backlash took Sakura by surprise and hurled her body against the wall. Her back throbbed with the impact. She groaned and rolled her head, taking her eyes back to Tetris…

Who was totally unaffected…

The Holy had been repelled by whatever that band was and Sakura knew it… and from the still empty look in Tetris' eyes as he walked away, she didn't have the power to do anything about it. Tetris left the room but Sakura was intimately aware of eyes on her.

She was wrong. There was only one eye.

Slade emerged from the shadows, his figure no longer cast along the cave wall. Though the blue flames lit the room and tossed shadows against Sakura's face and body, Slade stood in the center of the flame light and cast no shadow.

"I become more and more impressed with you as the days pass Sakura… despite your obvious weakness, you are proving to be very powerful indeed… such a power should be exploited to its full potential."

"I don't care if you're impressed."

"Yes you do, because you are just like your brother. You want the appreciation of someone stronger than you."

"You aren't stronger than me Slade! It took a whole Syndicate to nearly take me down… its only going to take one chance for me to take you down."

"Nearly? I'll ignore your foolish pride, because in truth I find it endearing… you and Robin are very much alike and that makes **you** very much like **me**."

"I'm nothing like you!" Sakura yelled.

"That's what Robin said… there are some differences between you and I; just as there are differences between Robin and myself."

"You say his name again and I'll---"

"Do what? Attack me with your powers? Dear girl, you **are** just like your brother. You fail to grasp the true severity of the situation you are in." Slade leaned down, putting his face only a foot away from hers. Slade knew that Sakura would attack and caught her unwounded leg midstrike. He could have pulled her completely from the floor, lifting her from her side by her shin and showed her that he was the one in control.

He chose a more subtle route. He always did have a way with words.

"If you had the capacity to beat me… where would you go Sakura? To your friends? To your Speedy?"

Sakura sneered but couldn't shake her leg free from Slade's hold. He made sure of it.

"Don't you think you've wasted enough time on the Titans? Hasn't the shame of being associated with a lesser class of human** being** driven you mad yet? You and Robin were meant for better things."

"Shut up." Sakura ground out between her teeth.

"I can offer you those better things. Wouldn't you like to see what it's like when your power is absolute, when you've surpassed every plateau to be the strongest in the world? I could show you that."

"I don't need you to be strong Slade! And I will never ever work with, for, or beside you… only against you." Sakura replied.

Slade dropped Sakura's leg and her weight bounced stiffly against the ground.

"It took your brother a long time to warm up to the idea as well… So I will give you time to think about it"

"You can give me all the time in the world and I'd never stand by you."

"I suggest you evaluate your choice very thoroughly… there isn't much time left in the world."

Sakura tried to attack, but before the hold of her magic could be enacted, Slade attacked, a thundering power slammed into her chest and the black haired girl was thrown to the floor. She coughed against the pain in her lungs. Slade dropped his offensive stance and stared down at Sakura… even in such pain; her eyes were flooded in battle fury.

"If you had enough power, that attack might have worked. I'll come back in exactly one day for your decision."

Sakura didn't sit up; instead turned her head to watch Slade slowly retreat. "Is that what you propositioned Terra with?"

Slade didn't stop moving forward. His words were like an after thought. "No… with Terra I had to be much more creative."

Slade walked away.

…

Terra was beginning to think that no matter how much satisfaction she got from knowing that Raven was weak and helpless before her and relied solely on Terra for information, it didn't make up for the time she had to endure with Raven to get it. She wished Slade would hurry up, three months of Raven's questions and threats were too much for her.

Raven tried to ignore the red markings firing against her skin. For days the marks were appearing and disappearing. With the constant strain on her powers and her mind, Raven hadn't been able to mediate to clear the Scath Stigma from her body. It was great fortune that her powers were suppressed; the small room would have been destroyed long ago… if she had the power to.

_But you don't… not yet… Just keep going… keep wearing her down… she's going to break… you are going to break Terra…_

Terra could see that Raven was going to ask another question; just like she had every time Slade sent her into entertain Raven, as if Terra's presence would discourage suicide. Sometimes she wondered if Slade actually knew anything about anyone other than Robin. Raven was far too proud to escape without satisfaction… and that was one of the reasons that their plot was going to work…

So Terra endured it… for just a while longer.

"What about…" Raven began.

Terra rolled her hands before leaning forward in on her stool. Her gaze bore down at Raven; the frustration was frolicking in her eyes. "Are we **really** going to sit here and laundry list it? Just accept it. I hated you all… How about we play a new game? Want to guess who was at the top of the list? I'll give you a hint: it's a girl, she was cruel, arrogant and self-satisfied… and I'm staring right at her."

_Bingo._

"Why?" Raven asked. "You couldn't have done all this to get at me…"¹

Terra shook her head. "It's what you all did to me."

Raven snorted. "We never did anything to you!"

Terra dropped her hands to her thighs, straightening her back. "Exactly. None of you gave me what I wanted… what a person of my powers deserves… You, you who had to work so hard to get your powers strong should have been able to see that I did the same thing. When you all stared down at me when my power was too much for you, you tore me down and disrespected me to my face and constantly behind my back. And those who didn't think to disrespect me did something just as unforgivable. They ignored me."

"This was a cry for attention?"

"Of course not. I'm glad no one noticed. It would have made it a lot more difficult to destroy your team." Raven was going to say something, coax more from her. But Terra's character did it for her. "But the real reason… why I have no regret… is because I'm doing exactly what you told me to." Terra said.

"What?"

"You told me to get control and I did."

"You didn't learn anything! I showed you how to focus!" Raven yelled.

"And believe me, no one appreciates it more than me… it made me that much faster to learn everything Slade had to show me: he saw everything I wanted from the beginning and he gave it to me."

"You couldn't have planned this the whole time. You destroyed Slade!"

"It was an accident. No matter how much he hurt me: I knew I couldn't hate him. When he gave me the opportunity… I took it. … He forgave me… the way you never did… Maybe, if you'd've been nicer---"

Raven was not going to let get away with that. "You can stop right there. You would have done this no matter what we did."

Terra nodded. "Probably, but I love putting the blame on you… it makes all the awful things we're going to do you and your baby that much more fun."

"My baby?" Raven asked.

"Terra, you've ruined the surprise."

When Slade entered the room, Terra's relief was evident. "Finally Slade! You wanna take over from here? I've had enough talking to birdie dumdum"

Slade nodded and Raven waited. "Murder, marriage, manipulation, motherhood, me… all the important words start with M."

"How about misanthropic, mislead, mistaken and minimal time left on this world?"

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise."

"It's the truth." Slade replied. "There **is** minimal time left in the Earth. Your grand prophecy will come true."

"I don't know what you think you know Slade, but I can tell you that there will be nothing grand about what Trigon wants me to do."

"It's not just what Trigon wants you to do… its much more than that… it's also what **you** want to do."

"What I want is to destroy y---"

Slade interrupted her. "Everything? That sounds about right… and from what I've gathered, that's almost exactly what you'll do."

"Almost exactly?"

"Yes, almost. There are a few complications that I wasn't aware of when I made my alliance with Washu… but once I had access to the entire breadth of the situation… I found that I was enraptured in the dramatic."

Slade reached behind his back and pulled a small black disk. Raven frowned. It was the same disk that Blood had tried to steal, that Red X had tried to steal… that the Syndicate had been after for a long time.

"When did you go back and steal it?" Raven asked.

"Go back? Why go back when I had someone inside to make sure we never lost it?"

Terra smiled. She waved her fingers in front of Raven's face. "Sticky fingers. You should never leave valuable information in just anyone's hands Raven, it always ends badly."² Terra shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes skyward. "Another thing I'm good at, besides **gathering** information, is passing it along. People who sneak get caught; I did it all in plain sight. That night when you and Robin were together, rolling around like pigs at the playground… didn't you think it strange that **I **showed up to help first? I was waiting for him."³

At Raven's sides her joints popped from her clenched fingers. The sneer across her lips tightened. Slade turned his eyes from his childish cohort to the child-like captive. Slade stepped closer to Raven, pulling her gaze to his face. He raised the slim, black disk over his guarded eye. Raven stared at it, her huge irises waving.

"Raven, do you know why this disk is valuable? What is on it that makes it so important?"

Raven shook her head in the negative.

"You… You and your grand prophecy: Raven, the portal bearer."

"What did you need the disk for? You already knew what I was supposed to do."

"But we didn't know how. The truth is in the details. Do you know what a Transient is?"

Raven's widened and what little color was in her face drained away. Her mouth dropped open and a painful inhale became trapped in her throat. _No…_

"Yes…" Slade said simply. "The transfer of pure energy from a sender to a host. Demons use it routinely to sire. Your own creation isn't so unlike what we have in store. You're going to produce a portal."

"What are you talking about? I am the portal!"

Slade almost laughed. As it was, he could barely contain the merriment in his voice. "No, no, no… dear girl, I'm afraid you're overstepping your value. You are the portal **bearer**… what you **bear** will be the portal for Scath… "

Raven's eyes widened. _He couldn't mean…_

Terra shifted her weight to her left leg, pressing her hands to her hips. "Do you get it now Raven? You're going to be a mommy, to a **precious** baby girl, just like you always wanted."

"No." Raven whispered.

"Yes…" Slade replied.

"That can't be true! My prophecy---"

Slade interrupted her declaration. "Is only ambiguous if the truth is being kept from you. No one here is trying to protect you Raven, so we have no reason to withhold the truth. You are the sire of Scath, you are his heir to a legacy of destruction… but you aren't capable of such fury… The whelp of a Transient birth possesses powers of magnitude incomparable to anything seen it this world... that is why we need your daughter... It was written that the marks of Scath would arise when your body would become receptive. The marks of Scath are proof of fertility."

Raven's eyes hardened, her voice picked up. "You did that to me!"

"I didn't create the marks Raven, merely uncovered them. Proceeding before you were ready would have proven futile. Do you remember when the first touch burned into you Raven? When it first began?"

Raven tried to calm her breathing, but her heart was forcing every inch of her body into triple time to keep up with its mad beat. Her mind raced, it's speedy nearly rivaling the beat, beat heartbeat. _This is a lie… I know what I was told… Azar wouldn't lie to me… why would he lie to me?_ Raven threw her head to the side, her eyes unseeing as they turned to the ground. Her eyes trembled, tears were threatening to escape. _No… no…_

"Is your mind troubled Raven? Does it not make sense to you? For months you've felt your Gem state, the need to continue your heritage into the future… I thought you'd be happy. You are going to get what you wanted." Slade rubbed his chin. "I wonder Raven, when **did** you start dreaming about being a mother? What was the very first day you remember having the desire to make life? Was it on your birthday? The day after? The day after that? Of course, the influence of your programming desires to continue your bloodline. It was the very thing you were meant to do and your mind supplied you with everything you desired, to reach the goal of your body."

Raven stared down at the flaring marks across her body. Tears fell then as her eyes moved from symbol to symbol. "I thought they were a curse…" She hadn't realized she had spoken aloud until Slade made his reply.

"Destructive prophecies are rather cryptic. Someone very smart had to put all the pieces together. It's a rather complicated plot, I must admit Raven. A lot of work is going into unlocking Trigon."

Terra rolled her eyes before leering down at Raven. "We did a lot of work to get to this point… just do your job alright? Well, its' not like you've got a choice."

_You don't know anything about my choices, you stupid traitor. I'll make sure you do when I… when I…_The sobs racked Raven's body, the captured mystic cupped her mouth in one hand as her body convulsed. She could feel a burning in her stomach… as if it were resigning to her destiny. _No, no, no… this can't be real… I won't let them do this to me! I have to get out of here… if not for me… then for…_

Raven's hand rose to attack. Terra leapt back just a few inches, shaking a finger at Raven.

"Not a good idea Raven. Those powers that keep you in check are always on and the more you try to fight, the more they take away from you… We know more than enough about you to make that pain as crippling as possible."

A tragic static dashed through Raven's head, the same one that Washu sent nearly every minute of every hour she had been captured. That spark arose whenever she tried to concentrate her powers, whenever she tried to meditate, whenever she tried to escape… every minute of every hour that she had been captured.

"You don't know anything about my pain." Raven sneered.

"Don't you get it Raven?" Terra was stuck between amused and exasperated. "It was everything I found out… every time I listened to your conversations, every time I watched you move, every time you gave your weaknesses away… **I** gave it to Slade and **I** got you here. When it comes to you, Raven, **I'm** the big bad. And I have to admit, it was fun."

"That's enough Terra. I believe we've tortured her enough, she'll have plenty of time to torture herself and somehow I feel as that will be much more damaging… besides, it's always a fool's error to give away all the details of our plan. Secrets are the best weapons, especially in a plot as delicate as ours."

_He's not telling me everything… and he wants me to know it… what else could there be? What could hurt more than knowing the truth?... Does he even know everything? There has to be more, there has to be a way out… there has to be a way to stop this… if Slade doesn't know how… he will tell me at least who can._

"You say ours as if it were just Trigon's bane. Trigon is powerful, but he isn't smart. Someone else orchestrated this. Someone stronger than you!"

Slade tilted his head as if contemplating his options. "Stronger? No… his powers are simple more diverse. Washu is extremely interested in you… everything about you. We've all invested an interest in your progeny Raven."

Every question Raven threw out returned an answer that scared her heart. She was losing the strength to stand anymore. Her body clenched the consequence of Slade and Terra's words… inside her nausea and pure terror raced; her blood was on fire and freezing at the same time. _My daughter… my dreams of the future… they were a plot… it had all been so beautiful… and all a part of the burden of my nature… How could he; how could Trigon take what was precious to me and use it… how could Slade facilitate that destruction? How can I defend against it?_

Raven could not deny the overwhelming sensation of defeat… though nothing as of yet had been a success, simply knowing all of her truths resigned her to accept it. Her mind was turning over to her body and driving her to submit.

_No… _

Inside Raven something craved protection. Through the sparks of disabling magic, Raven could feel something moving, desperate for her attention. _HOPE_… _HOPE… Do not give up hope, Raven…Right now… its all you have…_

"Why?"

Slade didn't have to think before providing his answer. "Why does anyone do anything? Because we can. However, in your case… **you** do because the rest of the world is stacked against you. And with no white knight, no avoidance of inevitability, you haven't a hope in the world of escaping your destiny."

Raven tightened her fingers into a fist and screamed. "You can't do this!"

Terra laughed. "What makes you say that Rae? The fact that we have you here, the fact that you gave us everything needed. It only took a little bit of meddling to keep some delicacies in your nature intact."

"What?"

"The complexity of a Transient birth is overly precise; certain precautions were monitored to make sure you didn't spoil before you were ripe." Slade replied.

"I don't understand."

Slade crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Do not concern yourself with the details Raven."

Raven was going to do exactly that. "You're not protecting anyone Slade, tell me."

"Just tell her Slade… this is the best part. If you don't I will."

Slade turned to stare down at Terra. "It would do you well, Terra, to remember your place… but I suppose there is no harm in you knowing the full spectrum of that particular truth. All Transient births are the facilitated transfer of energy into a host, but there are two complications without which Transients fail. First is that the host must be strong and receptive. Your strengths are unquestionable and nothing outside of Washu can take that away from you… and as for receptiveness… I believe your new understanding of your birthmarks does provide some understanding."

"Some?"

"You pick up on my nuances so well Raven. It's charming… Your body is not totally ready… No woman's body can sustain a Transient birth before the age of twenty. It's a set back that we are prepared to accommodate for. We have a lot of preparation to do… though you did most of it for us."

_Twenty? That's four years from now!_

Terra nodded. "Guess you're wondering why we took you now huh? There's another complication for the Transient… you've got to be a virgin."

Raven's fury flared in her mind. A sharp spin of her psyche ruptured and was crushed by Washu's interference. Raven's eyes bored at them both, both purple eyes slanted with fury.

Terra laughed at the display. "With the way you and Robin were getting hot and heavy just by looking at each other… it was obvious that **that** complication was in risk of being nonexistent."

Confusion softened her features, her eyes dropped to the floor, her lips parting softly before the lower one rolled and was pinched between her teeth. She remembered being so close to Robin then… and she had stopped… then she didn't know why, she just did and when Robin stopped as well, she had called it nerves… _My body didn't want Robin, even though my heart did… my body stopped to make sure I stayed a virgin… and because Robin respected me, we stopped… Robin… Robin… _

Raven had cried for days in worry about Robin. She remembered him being so fragile in her arms… she knew he was too strong to be defeated, but unable to see him, to hear him, to know that he was thinking about her, worried about her, terrified Raven. She didn't know if Robin was safe and Terra wouldn't tell her. The blond traitor had all but told her that she didn't care enough about Robin to even ask what happened to him. Raven had asked if her hate extended to Robin. Terra replied in the positive; Robin had ignored her… and now she was returning the favor.

Terra's voice cut through Raven's worry. "Making sure you stayed a virgin was exhausting, Raven. Most the time, since you both were bumbling fools about it, my interference was minimal. Sometimes I had to step in… on your precious little anniversary, did my knocking ruin the mood?"

Slade grew tired of Terra's self-important tone. "That's enough Terra… I'm sure Raven understands now the true depth of your deception. Is it all clear Raven? Has the consequences of your life and all the life you will create… has it all sunken in? Don't be concerned if it hasn't… We will not be moving forward until your body is ready, when your teenage years have passed you."

"You'll never hold me here for four years!"

Slade nodded in agreement. "No, not me… but there are forces much more powerful than yours… and how very convenient that they all have aligned against you… I'm afraid you won't have as much time as you deserve to brood and worry about your unavoidable future… to eliminate any chance that something might arise to inspire attempts at escape… we're going to put you asleep… it will be as if the next four years will fly right by… it isn't as if the interlude will matter to you… You won't have the consciousness to miss it…"

Terra groaned. "Now look what you've done! You made the strong and proud Raven cry… It's just as bad as her glares and threats… it gets boring so quickly. Can we just put her to sleep now? Why don't we go get Washu… and give Raven a little alone time… before she gets a lot of it."

…

Aqualad's face was tight with nervousness as he restrained Blackfire in the middle of the common room. The Tameranian had thrown down her task, shattering the three dirty plates she was carrying to the kitchen to wash. Aqualad had been closest to Blackfire when her temper had flared and though she had the power to throw him aside and probably a few miles on top of that, he was the only one she wouldn't hurt to break free of and he was the only brave enough to get in her way.

Blackfire's temper flaring up wasn't anything uncommon in the last few months. The girl didn't take stress well and the background noise to their already complicated lives was not helping her achieve calm.

For three months, the fragment that remained of the formerly indestructible Titans had been rebuilding. It had been a difficult task for all of them, all of the hallways and bedrooms seemed to echo with memories of Raven, Sakura and Terra. There hadn't been a single joke made from Beast Boy, nor a surprised giggled from Star; there wasn't a merry shout of a victorious Speedy and when the TV was on, it wasn't attached to a game station; it was channeled on the news. The livelihood of the tower was gone…

All the talks had been serious, because everything was serious and everything was a crisis. When Blackfire and Aqualad had preformed the preliminary assessment of the damage, their hearts seemed paralyzed as their eyes and ears took it all in. Every floor was littered with debris and with the splatter of destruction. Some rooms and wings were spared destruction, but others seemed to be the epicenter.

When the pair stumbled upon Beast Boy, standing in the center of a corridor, they were forced to wonder if the attack was meant to disable them or to dishearten them. Every single bedroom, every room where a Titan laid their head, was harmed. The room Starfire and Blackfire shared was caved on one side. The door was blown in on Cyborg's and Beast Boy's had been the victim of a rebounding attack when Sakura and Celine's room was completely destroyed.

It was a wonder if any of them slept those first few nights. Their bedrooms were the harshest wounds down to the physical aspect of the tower. Even as Blackfire cried when she bent to clear the wreckage that was Starfire's bed, she knew, they all knew, that the real damage done to the tower was the damage done to the Titans.

It was some stroke of luck or cruel game that the medic room was relatively undisturbed. Cyborg had tried not to think about it when he laid Celine to rest there. He was silent as he used his personal technology to revive the small hospital and took care of Celine's wounds.

Celine had lain unconscious for three days. When the red haired genius woke up, she became more like a machine than any of her computers. Her first task was to repair the Titans' system. All of it. The frenzy and precision of the strike on the tower had decimated everything: every page of history, every ounce of identity, any clue for how to recover and move forward. So Celine had to make the plan for recovery. She and Cyborg had spent days sifting through the wreckage of the control panels, tossing aside the unsalvageable and saving as much as they could. There was much more of the former than the latter, but they worked with what they had.

Cyborg repaired the data acquisition system and directed the Titans to their tasks. He had put most of them to work on clearing out damage and then into restoration of what was important… he never told Celine what to do, because she knew better than anyone else what had to be done…

Her most painful task was to assess Robin. Between all of them, Celine didn't know who was most worried about the Titans' leader. Starfire only left his side when forced and Speedy couldn't go more than a few hours without asking if there was any change, even though between those few hours he was right beside Starfire, worried like Celine had never seen.

They were all feeling the effects of Robin's incapacitation. Robin was part of their absolute strength as people, he reminded them of what strength of will was and he made sure that if they ever needed cheering up, he'd be there to do it.

_We could use it Robin… we really would like it… if you could wake up…_

The word **could** was what bothered Celine the most. She had run every test she could access, read every book she could salvage from her library (which is to say, wasn't much), she had contacted every doctor she could rely on, but she couldn't find anyway to wake him up. Magic, specifically Washu's magic, wasn't a science. It was something she didn't understand. It was beyond the scope of Reverse Engineering and nothing anyone said could inspire some side of Celine's genius…

And that was why Blackfire was angry. For three months she watched her friends and her sister falter and lose hope: lose hope of finding Sakura, of saving Raven and of helping Robin. For three months she had watched Starfire wilt under sadness. The emotional capacity of Tameranians was meant to experience great happiness, but for these three months they had been captured in fear, uncertainty and sadness. It had incapacitated D'ucel, sank Star and drove Blackfire to fury.

Celine and Cyborg watched Aqualad hold Blackfire back. They all had the same fears: that something terrible had become of Sakura, that Raven would succeed in her terrible destiny and that Robin would never recover… and it ate at all of them, but what made Blackfire take on her righteous fury was when one of them would give up hope.

Just a few moments before Blackfire turned to anger, Celine had encountered something discouraging. All of her outreaches were pointed definitely to the negative. There was no scientific mind, no modern technology, no gift of the present that could bring Robin back into animation. None. Celine didn't want to say, but when Cyborg asked what she found… the flaw in her nature disclosed all the truths.

"So that's it?" Cyborg had asked his voice loud enough to catch Blackfire's attention. Celine frowned and nodded, closing down her microcomputer.

"For now…"

"Don't do that Omicron, don't linger out the inevitable."

"I'm not lingering out the inevitable, Cyborg. I'm just holding on to hope."

"You said so yourself, we can't help Robin. No matter of hope is going to change that… and we need to accept it."⁵

Blackfire turned and so did Aqualad. Celine didn't want to look at him, but Cyborg's declaration demanded their attention.

"We need to face it ya'll. The Titans are never going to be like it was. We've lost Robin, just like we lost Raven, Sakura and Terra."

"You will not compare our friends to Terra!" Blackfire yelled. "And we have not lost them!"

"Blackfire, listen to me, I'm not giving up on Robin or Raven or Sakura. All I'm saying is that for the last three months we've been focused on the wrong objective. If Robin was going to wake up, he would have done it by now."

"Are you saying there's an expiration date for hope?" Aqualad asked.

"I'm saying there's a time for everything and right now is the time to get ready. No amount of worrying is going to make us ready for when the Syndicate makes its move. I want Robin to get up and fight with us again too, just as much as everyone else. He's a good friend and I'd do all in my power to get him back. But right now we don't know what that will take."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying the Titans are at a standstill and we need to move ahead."

"Move ahead where? To a place without our friends? To a place where we leave them behind because we have not found a solution immediately? Where do you suggest we go?" Celine asked.

"We go where we aren't victims to our memories."

That was when Blackfire grew furious. Aqualad had grabbed her just inches from Cyborg's throat. The mechanical Titan had been surprised by her sudden attack and would have fallen victim to it if not for Aqualad.

He could see in her glowing eyes that she wasn't angry… she was at a stage far beyond angry, she was scared within a breath of self-destructing.

"You are wrong!" Blackfire's eyes lost their glow when she saw the unease in the faces of her friends. She pulled in all her strength and let Aqualad wrap his arms around her. Her stature was just tall enough that she could look over Aqualad's shoulder and into the eyes of Cyborg. Her face was pulled far away that he could hear every word she said. "I know that hiding does not resolve problems… our pasts are painful, but they are also important. I cannot give up any of those good things in hopes to get rid of the bad… in the past are our friends… I have not many friends left in the universe Cyborg; do not dare ask me to give any of them up without a fight."

Cyborg couldn't meet Blackfire's eyes a second longer. His strong face deflated and without a look back the cybernetic powerhouse left the room. Celine followed behind him.

"Cyborg, stop." Celine demanded.

It surprised her, but he did. "I'd never ask that." He said simply, responding to what Blackfire had said and not to Celine's command. The beautiful engineer touched his arm. She had touched his arm before, on a million different occasions, but this touch had been the first one in months. To any onlooker it seemed the most natural thing in the world. To Cyborg, if felt like one of the tragedies of the past.

Celine's brown eyes were soft when she saw that he couldn't meet her gaze. Her free hand reached up and turned Cyborg's head gently, her palm cupping his cheek.

"I understand, Cyborg. You're trying to be strong for us, but you're going about it the wrong way… forgetting is what leads to the same mistakes coming and coming again… we can't ever forget what has become of us and we'll use every single memory to get back what was stolen. "

"I want my team back, Omicron."

"Then be our leader and recognize that we're scared… we won't forget our fears."

"I didn't mean to sound like I was giving up on everything, but every time I see Starfire and Speedy… whenever I see BB… its hurts so much I can't stand it… the only way I can think to take it all away… is to push it all aside."

"Pushing might work for you Cyborg, but not for us…"

"I should have known that. I'm a terrible leader."

"No, it's just hard fitting into Robin's tights."

"You have no idea."

It wasn't funny, but they all got the idea. Two floors down, Starfire sat beside Robin, her chin resting on her folded hands. She leaned against his bedpost and from where Speedy sat she was on the verge of crying again.

There were no clues and that was what was most frightening about their situation. The attack on the Titans had been so thorough, so precise that it was obvious that the executed plan had been matriculated carefully and over a very long time.

It had taken Speedy weeks to convince himself that the shallow rising and lowering of Robin's chest wasn't a figment of his imagination. He sat beside Robin and Star for hours, trying to think of something that would make it all feel right again.

Together the Titans had worked out a rough timeline of what had happened and what would happen. The former was the more terrifying of the two because the uncertainty of the latter was all around them. For three months the world had continued to turn, there was still life, there was still light and there was still hope. Something was stopping the end of the world… and Speedy prayed with all his might that that something was Sakura, that she was fighting still and that she was okay. There was that possibility, that that could be happening and that sliver of chance gave Speedy peace. What unnerved him was in what had happened; because even in the details of how, who, what and when… the why question burned at them brutally.

_It was someone's goal to take us out. Not just at the Cave of Serin, but long before._ The exactness hadn't been certified, but that wasn't important. The Titans knew that the beginning of the end had started probably when Raven was born, before Slade came into the picture, before Terra was implanted within the Titans… _Before we ever knew that we were a threat. _

They didn't know where the chain of command lead, but they did know that Washu had sent Slade and Slade brought Terra and Terra gave them everything. With all the wreckage it was hard to know what Terra took and what was destroyed, but it all resulted in the same thing: a plot.

_The whole time, it was a set-up. Terra was an emissary, the fourth member of Slade's court⁴, sent to get the Syndicate the edge on us. Everything was stacked against us… the Cave of Serin… they knew that Sakura was afraid of heights so they tried to take her out by dropping the ground beneath her … they knew that when Washu made that attack on Raven, that Robin would protect her. They knew that Sakura and Robin were the biggest opposition to their plot and they sought to take them out… and by doing so they crippled our team… and now we're playing the waiting game until they make their move._

Speedy looked over to Robin and saw Starfire close her eyes. The green eyed girl was slowly, but steadily feeling the effects of her worry. _She's already lost him once…_

Speedy dropped his chin onto the back of his hands. He could have been praying, thinking about the vast uncertainty of the universe, or on the verge of tears from that position. But he wasn't. He was thinking about the difference one person could make in the fate of the rest of their lives.

_Get up Robin… There are a lot of people waiting on you and even more who need you… we need to get our girls back… all of them…_

**_Beat, beat, heart beat._**

End of Part Two

A/N

¹Last part Raven said she didn't care why she did it. Of course that was a lie, but she knew that Terra wasn't going to tell her then… and she was going to get a lot more information out of her when she wore her down.

²Did anyone notice that in HIVE MIND part 5, that Terra closed an **empty **vault? Its subtle, but its there.

³In Remembersees Part One: Terra passes Slade the disk when he grabs her. That's why she **didn't** run away rather than **couldn't** run away. Again, very subtle, but its there.

⁴There are four major members under Slade in his Syndicate. I named three: X, Washu, Tetris… and Speedy filled in the blank that I left in Engraved Invitation. That one wasn't so obvious as a clue, but there it was.

⁵As far as superheroes go, Cyborg is probably the most easy to turn to despair. Any chance the guy gets he's ready to quit and go home. I'm probably over doing it, but I really don't have much more for him to do until the end of this chapter.


	38. Transient Part Three

Transient

Part Three

ºflashbacksº

…

Slade's attention was divided. The day had passed and he had two objectives to accomplish: make Washu move forward and secure Sakura for the future. Neither of his objectives could be accomplished with threats, torture or deception. Both his goals would be achieved through something infinitely more subtle.

Terra followed Slade into Washu's hall. The dismal cave was made unnerving by Washu's collection. Soul bodies were bound in units floating and dispelling light. The colors were tragic, each of them were tainted with the act of thievery that had borne them.

Except one. There was one energy that stood brightly and unadulterated. It was the one that Washu had stolen when he had struck down Robin. After months it had lost its all-consuming charm on Terra and Slade, for the most part, but for someone with an eye for such energies, Washu could not seem to get enough.

Washu had stolen hundreds of life energies from hundreds of life forms; human, demon, mortal and immortal alike. What he hadn't been able to do was take it without placing his own influence into the life force. His magic was the strongest in existence; the sheer power of it tainted all he touched.

_Somehow, this Robin's energy has remained unbiased… I have never encountered such power… and to find it on Earth, in a teenage human boy… who just happened to be associated with the whelp of Trigon… This intrigues me…_

Slade stood beside Washu and observed Robin's energy. His understanding of most of Washu's mysticism was adequate at best, because he did not concern himself with it. However, when Slade was able to divert his attention from his own pursuits and conquests, he indulged in his natural curiosity.

"What has this energy drain done to Robin? His strength, his stamina, his intelligence?"

Washu's reply came as casually as if he were telling the time to a stranger. "Robin is dead and has been for days."

Terra's eyes widened and Slade's single eye became furious.

"WHAT?"

"Robin is dead. Just as you instructed I attacked and disabled Robin. The drain used to incapacitate Robin is efficient. Ninety-nine percent of his life energy was taken from him. Without it returned the chances of survival are non-existent. One would have to have an exception strength of will to endure… no mortal possesses such ability."

"You were not supposed to kill him! That was **not** part of our deal!"

Only one third of the occupants of the room were afraid at that moment, but Terra was sure she was terrified enough for all of them. Slade's eye was afire and seconds later, his hands were as well. Washu seemed thoroughly unimpressed by Slade's passion.

"What would you have me do to rectify my mistake?" Washu asked.

_Robin's dead? What a shame… I would have liked to shatter his pride, so that makes only eight more for me to play with. _Terra crossed her arms over her small chest. Slade was barely able to maintain is composure.

"Move forward with the plan… I'll decide how you will pay for your trespasses."

Washu made no acknowledgement of Slade's threat and moved forward. Terra's eyes bounced between Slade's face and Washu's retreating back. Between the two evils, Terra decided to play it safe and follow the one she had never followed before. She had made it all of six steps in Washu's tracks when Slade called her back and forbade her to impose on Raven's last moments of consciousness.

"Oh come on! Raven is in love with Robin. I have to see her face when she learns he's dead."

"Washu is not going to tell her and you will stay behind to ensure she does not find out."

"What?" Terra raised her thin right brow.

"You are aware that Raven's powers are governed by her emotions… the emotional outpour following her awareness of Robin's death would destroy her mind and with it her use."

"Fine… can I at least tell Sakura?"

Slade turned his head from her, rubbing his fingers with his chin. She could tell before he even said the word that the answer was a negative. "You will leave Sakura alone."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Sit here and enjoy what is left of the greatest warrior I have ever known."

Slade exited and had Terra the conscious of mind to watch him, she would have been the first person to see Slade's proud shoulders sag with regret. Terra huffed loudly before sitting down Indian style. Her face dropped into her palm and with disinterest eyes watched the life of the Boy Wonder swim against the air. _At least it's a pretty light show._

…

_That night had been my last chance to save me from my destiny… but my body refused. My mind let its guard down: KnowledgE had consented, BravE encouraged and HOPE… _Raven bit back a tear and tried to focus as another of the disabling waves ran through her head. _I had one night to be free from everything… but instead of freeing myself to Robin… that night I earned my fate…_

"_The Titans will get stronger to protect you, you'll get stronger to defend us… and **we'll** get our happy ending Raven… I promise."_

_Robin… Robin… Do you still believe that it is true? With all that I know… can I hope to believe that a happy ending is possible? _The tears streamed. The long haired mystic's body shook violently. It had been exactly one day since Slade had revealed to her the truth about her pedigree. Slade had told her crueler things than the monks of Azarath, than the fearful populace that had surrounded her as she grew up, than the darkest recesses of her own mind…

And without hesitation, she knew it was true. What she didn't know was how she was going to stop it, to make sure her child would not fall victim to her grandfather as Raven had.

When the portal leading to Raven's holding room whirled and whimmed with its new entrants, Raven didn't have time to react as the chain around her neck pulled and dragged her to the floor. From the ground Raven could see Washu and Tetris coming towards her. She righted herself and watched as Washu pointed to the ground and Tetris laid down beside her without a word. Washu's dark fingers pressed into Tetris' forehead, just above his band crown. Raven's eyes widened when Washu began a torrent of magic words in languages she didn't realize were still used. The dead verbs and curses were strung together in a fashion that Raven knew was forbidden: of course, when wizards were evil, they generally ignored the rules that governed everyone else. Washu's words flowed and while Raven's eyes were held painfully open, Tetris' closed… and closed and closed… His chest stopped raising and falling and he was absolutely still.

"What did you do to him?" Raven asked when Washu's words ceased and Tetris was locked in suspended animation.

"I have done to him what I shall do to you. I am storing him for safe keeping… The return of Trigon resides in the maintenance of both of your present conditions."

"Who is he?" Raven asked.

"Just another creature preparing for the return of Trigon."

"You aren't a servant of Trigon… The eye of Azar follows all of them. So who are you?" Raven stated.

"I am the watcher of Laseri and Astarte." Washu replied.

"Laseri and Astarte? Those are Azarathian names… and the fact that you can say them in your tongue means you're from the Ring of Azarath."

"You are correct. I am not a servant to Trigon. I play a slightly different role than Slade. While Slade is a merely a messenger, I am entrusted in a much more valuable task."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I was entrusted with the will of Doomgaze to raise his sires so that his seed and the whelp of Trigon can borne the portal that will escape Trigon." Washu replied.

"Doomgaze wants to free Trigon? They're enemies!" Raven couldn't make sense of Washu's statements. If not for the glare of his eyes, she would have believed that he was lying. But Washu was strong and proud, much too strong to stoop to lying to his captive.

"My master grows restless without his epic battles against his greatest rival. Doomgaze seeks to finish his final battle with Trigon, uninterrupted on the battlefield of Earth. What will not be destroyed on this planet by Trigon's release will be undone in the closing chapter of the war between Trigon and Doomgaze."

"You're going to open the Portal of Destruction for sport? Just to use Earth as a playground?"

"Not just Earth… both Trigon and Doomgaze have a fondness for the ring of Azarath. The victor will have his taste of spoils, spreading demon races to cover the universe in shadow."

"It will never happen. I won't let Trigon make more like me, to use to do such terrible things."

Raven gasped when the chain around her neck pulled her, laying her down on her back. She was lying just like Tetris, Laseri: the heir of Doomgaze… the energy source for her Transient birthing. Raven thrashed against the restraints.

"Foolish girl… it only takes one… and with you and Laseri both prepared for your role, there is nothing to stop the inevitable Dark Wars."

"I can stop it! My friends will stop it!"

"Your Titans haven't the power to stop destiny."

Washu touched two fingers to Raven's charka and a echoing waving energy hammered into Raven's forehead. _No…_ Raven tried to thrash her head side to side, but those two fingers pinned her in place and the echo came again. Raven could feel her fragile psyche spinning, the deep recesses of her mind spilling and expanding, the great artifacts of her history shattered and escaped. Her eyes began to fall.

_No… No…_Her eyes dropped and dropped. _No… I won't let them do this… Not to me, not to my friends… not to the Earth… Robin…_

"Az-a-rath---"

Raven's eyes fell closed.

"_The Titans will get stronger to protect you, you'll get stronger to defend us… and **we'll** get our happy ending Raven… I promise."_

_Robin…_

…

The white light would have been blinding, if his eyes weren't closed. He could hear something, something like running water in the ocean, it was calm and beautiful and he swore he could feel it lapping at his finger tips. He laid on his back, his bare fingers twitching at his sides. The water was far away, he couldn't touch it around him, he couldn't be sure it was real. When his eyes opened the light flooded in and robbed his sight. He groaned. His mind was a wreck, pain tightening and throbbing in his temples as he tried to focus on something, anything, expect the pain.

A hand lay down gently across his forehead. It was the most gentle touch he had ever felt. The simple touch began to pull away the tension. His eyes couldn't open to confirm, but the relief in his head brought one name to his lips.

"Ka-san" (Mother)

He heard a soft sigh. Something that made his heart tremble. It was her voice and her touch.

Asuka smiled. "After all these years he still remembers his mother's touch." She whispered to her companion. He hadn't realized they weren't alone together, he would have if he could just open his eyes.

"Wake up and face your forgotten past." Ueno demanded.

And his son followed his order. His eyes blinked slowly as the bright light filtered through his irises and stung at him less and less. He could see their outlines, his father strong and his mother graceful. He could see them with minimal obstruction and reached for them with one hand. He sat up, his hair falling into his eyes. With one hand extended, the other bent and wiped the strands from his eyes. He realized then that he wasn't wearing gloves. He realized then that he wasn't wearing his mask. The fingers he had brought to push his hair aside were given a new task. The slim and smooth hand covered his face, blocked out his eyes.

"Dear Brother, look at me." Her voice was like heaven and for the first time in a long time he felt relief. He was surprised when she pulled his hand away from his face, taking the larger one into her own. His eyes dropped to his pale hand clutched in her tanner one. He dared to look up and met her beautiful brown eyes. They were a brown he was familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if he was on the verge of tears. Looking at his mother, he didn't know which it was.

"Have you forgotten us?" Ueno asked, his strong face looking down at him like a watchful father would.

"No, I never forgot you… Never wanted to, but everyday it was harder and harder to live with the memory. So I had to push everything, deep into the untended parts of my heart. So it wouldn't eat away at me."

"It is the consequences of burden, Dear Brother. Every circumstance has a negative and positive result. It is not within your control to decide which acts in response to your movements… but you must never fail to act, that always results in loss."

"I was too weak to save you." Dear Brother sobbed, his hands clenched painfully, his short nails biting crescent moons into his palms.

Asuka sighed and hugged her son's shoulders gently. Dear Brother inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her. Her long black hair slipped over his arm as his face pressed into her shoulder. It had been so long since he had last cried. Asuka stroked his back gently. "You were too young. We loved you more than anything. We couldn't let you fight… if we lost you, we'd lose our hearts"

"Do not lose yours." Ueno said firmly. Asuka stood and gently extracted herself from her son. Dear Brother looked up at them both, looking into his mother's beautiful eyes, his father's strong face.

"Ka-san, Otou-sama" (Mother, Father) He whispered, holding a hand out to them.

Asuka smiled sadly, making no move to take his hand. "Don't forget to fly."¹ She whispered.

"Kenosuke itsumo tatsu!" (Always stand)

And from his sight, his parents faded into the bright light. Dear Brother crawled forward on his knees, his hand extended to try to touch them just once more before they faded. He missed his mother's skirt, but as his eyes reached up to see the last traces of their faces he saw a different body, a different hand, a different sad smile.

He saw Raven. The long haired girl bent down just slightly as a mother would to encourage her crawling child to come to her. One slender hand extended to his, her finger tips just inches away.

She smiled gently. "Hai." (Here)

His fingers touched hers, his bare fingers grasped hers tightly, his eyes met hers for the first time… and all the white vanished. His eyes closed and he could feel the white peeling away from his surroundings. The sound of water was gone, what he could hear was breathing; three sets of lungs… one was his own, he needed to open his eyes to see who belonged to the others.

And he did.

The room focused slowly, Robin could see the flashing lights of the computers, the bar of the hospital bed and the frame of a beautiful Tameranian girl and the agile archer with his head in his hands. Robin sat up weakly, his movements alerting everyone in the room It was when that gentle red head turned to face that robin realized, just like in his dream, he wasn't wearing his mask. As Starfire's mouth opened to shout his name in great relief, Robin threw his forearm over his eyes. He could see her eyes shaking with relief.

"Did you see?" Robin asked, over his arm he could see Starfire's face drop. He felt bad for that moment, hurting the girl who was obviously worried. But some things were sacred to him, some things he couldn't share with Starfire before he shared them with Raven.

Starfire turned her head to her own hands, though relief surged through her, she still felt the sting of loneliness, that Robin wasn't overwhelmed in happiness in seeing her. "I did not."

Robin extended his other hand for his mask. Speedy handed it to him

"She only took it off to clean your face. Usually I do it, but she was worried about you."

Robin fitted the thin fabric over his face, pressing it securely. The Titans' leader met their gaze for the first time. "Usually? How long have I been out?"

Star cast her eyes away. "Three months"

"What's happened?"

"The first step in the end of the world." Speedy replied.

Robin felt sick to his stomach. "Uhh… Raven… where's Raven?"

"We still do not know." Star answered.

"We haven't been able to trace her location… hers… or Sakura's." Speedy added solemnly.

"Sakura!"

"Calm down Robin, your body's been through a lot of damage. Celine wasn't sure you'd ever wake up. We think Washu was trying to take **you** out when you dove in to protect Raven… We don't know what he's planning to do with he stole from you or if he's already done it… But for three months…"

Starfire's tears were silent. "You were so still…"

Celine entered the room then and took Robin's attention from his crying friend. He could see the deep scar running across her forehead, but before he could ask, she supplied him with the answer. "It's the lingering reminder of Terra's betrayal."

"Terra betrayed us?"

"Again." Starfire replied.

"She's a better snake than we could have ever imagined. The attack on you, the attack on me, it was all a set up to get what Slade wanted…" Celine said bitterly.

"Its obvious at some level that Slade wanted you out of the picture." Speedy added.

"By all measures and estimates… you should have died… I think your will to live slowly built your life force back… we don't know yet… when we have more information on your condition---"

"I'm not concerned with me! Do they have her? Does Slade have Raven? Does he have my sister?"

"Yes… at least we think so… but as you can see, the world hasn't ended yet…"

_Says you… _

Speedy stepped forward as Starfire got up and fled the room. The pair of masked fighters watched her go; the streaming pools of tears caught the light and added even more distress to their circumstances. Speed sat where Star had a moment before and told Robin what they knew and Celine made sure he was aware of everything the Titans didn't currently know.

The Boy Wonder realized he had missed a lot and he would have a lot of work to do to get Raven back, to rescue Sakura and to save the rest of the world. _I will save them… mother, father… I won't let them end up like you did… _Robin rubbed his head. He frowned as long strands were caught between his fingers. His hair was longer than he had ever grown it before.

Speedy noticed Robin's notice of the physical proof of his loss of three months in his life. Speedy turned to his leader holding out a hand to him. Robin took it and pulled himself from his hospital bed. "A lot of things have changed Robin, we figured that you should decide whether or not you were willing to change too."

…

Washu sealed the sleeping chamber and found Slade and Terra standing outside of Sakura's holding room. Slade seemed deep in thought. Washu could barely fathom the depth of Slade's strategic brilliance: it was why he endured Slade, why he did not crush his aides. Slade's abilities were unparalleled as far as player manipulation.

But when it came to Robin, Slade was constantly at a disadvantage. It was one of the reasons that Washu had decided to destroy Robin. Slade would push and change their plans; interrupted Washu's complicated ideas just to play his games with the leader of the Teen Titans. It annoyed and frustrated Washu to have to wait or move unnecessarily just to incorporate Robin into Slade's plans. Until Washu had stolen the boy's life, he didn't understand what Slade found so intriguing about him.

Though the complication of Robin had been eliminated, traces of his presence occupied Slade's attention. The girl, Sakura, was of kin to Robin and therefore was worth Slade's time. Slade never referred to any of the other Titans by name except those directly involved in his objectives. It wasn't until the girl had slipped into their strong hold she had sparked Slade's interest.

Washu had been told about the girl's Holy power. That sort of power wasn't born into mortals, Washu knew that she had been given those powers and considering that that power was not common, Washu knew exactly where she had gotten it from.

Seventeen years ago the Wars of Light and Dark had swept most of the demon races into the darkest dimensions of the universe where they could not harm the fragile lives that those of the light considered to be most valuable. Some demons saved their claims by siring half-breeds, as both Trigon and Doomgaze had done… _And in response, it seems Jericho has done the same. Jericho is gathering an army of light… and he sent them to the whelp of Trigon to protect her from the will of Doomgaze… _Washu smiled darkly, his mind slipping from Robin's energy to their captive. _What great fortune that he was foolish enough to deliver them to me…_

Washu approached Slade and Terra, the blonde girl looked past Washu's billowing cloak to the portal that had been sealed. She huffed. It would be years before she could hurt Raven again. But at least there was someone else left for her to play with: judging by Slade's face after he left Sakura's holding room, Sakura **wouldn't** be joining the Syndicate.

ºSlade had not been prepared to face Sakura with the wound still fresh in his ego. He should have waited to try to persuade her, but he told himself that Robin's death did not affect him much more than the death of a friend from his childhood would have. He walked forward, through the portal and into Sakura's holding room.

Sakura turned her brown eyes to Slade, realized it was him and turned back to the ground beneath her knees. With her head bent down, Slade could see in profile the characters that she and Robin had in common: the short chin, the aristocratic brow and the black hair as dark as Slade's own soul.

Sakura's leg had taken to healing on its own. Slade didn't know if Washu's influence had hindered the application of that particular power or if Sakura's ability to heal herself was weak to begin with. Slade had a bruise across his chest in the shape of a size eight boot to his chest when he had tried to place a cast around the fracture.

At the time he considered the possibility that she lacked the capacity to heal herself and choose permanent personal injury over accepting his assistance. Seeing that she was healing properly without medical assistance and healing more rapidly in the last few days than she had in the last two months lead Slade to believe that with Washu's increasing lack of focus that Sakura's powers were being repressed less and less…

And that made her a threat.

That made her valuable.

Slade's eye was keen for potential. He had seen the gifts of Robin, Terra and Sakura and one by one he set about making them realize the depth of their potential. While Robin proved a failure, with which there were no longer means for correction, and Terra showed to be dangerous, Sakura might prove that the third time was the charm.

"Before you even ask, my answer is still no. Go away; I'm trying to think of a way to break out of here." Sakura said flatly.

"Forward aren't we?"

"And easily annoyed. Go away. I want nothing to do with you or your Syndicate… except the ending of it."

"You lack the capacity to destroy."

"Just because my power is pure doesn't mean it isn't destructive. Trust me Slade, the moment your Syndicate slips my Holy will conquer you."

"Have you always been so bold?"

"Didn't your little spy tell you?"

The way her eyes moved, the pitch and depth of her voice made Slade realize the error of his actions. It was not that she was resisting his tactics; it was that he wasn't employing them. He had strategies for acquiring the trust and control of Sakura, but circumstances had arisen beyond the influence of his manipulation.

Slade thought for a moment, staring down at Sakura's profile. Her features were in common with Robin, but a single dissimilarity inspired a new idea. º

Slade turned to Washu and the caped demon waited.

"The preparations are complete." Slade said, didn't ask.

Washu nodded. "The parents of destruction are secured. All that remains is to ensure they remain secured."

"What could go wrong?" Terra asked.

"The Titans… they present the only obstacle." Washu replied.

Terra rolled her eyes. "We don't need to worry about the Titans." The geomancer stated.

"We must always be worried about the Titans… you've met them, you've fought with them and against them… you know just as well as I do that they're unerringly resilient." Slade replied.

"Not when we've broken their foundation. We made a mistake before when we tried to take them down, we didn't recognize every part of their characters. The Titans are a house and every home has four corner stones that support everything on top of it. Depending on who you ask, the corner stones changes."

"But I suppose you know the true arrangement of the Titans' foundation?" Slade asked.

"I did live among them, I saw how they acted with each other, when one was sad or hurt, they acted a certain way. They couldn't let pretty Starfire stay hurt or Beast Boy feel scared or Aqualad feel alone."

"You suggest that the cornerstones are those three and another, Robin I suppose?" Slade asked.

"You got the Robin part right, but the other three aren't. As far as I can see it, the Titans were built in two classes, the new and the old and they became one house. The original five are in the old, the new seven are the new. Put the two together and you get one big house, but still only four cornerstones. From the old house its Robin and Raven; they're who is most trusted, most defended, most liked… from the new house its Celine and Sakura; they mark the formation of the full Titans unit, with their unique skills and characters…"

"What does this matter?" Washu asked.

"We've destroyed Robin and Celine. One half of the house has broken… we stole the other half. With Raven and Sakura captured that house came tumbling down." Terra replied.

"Sakura, captured? You say that is if she isn't part of the grand design."

Terra furrowed her brow. "You'll never get her to turn, especially when she finds out that Washu killed her brother."

"I do not require **her** acceptance. I believe I have come across the technology to ensure the power of her alliance." Slade turned his eye to Washu.

"You desire to make her the bearer of a Transient as well?" In Washu's head the plan begin to form and he liked it. "Her Holy is a grand guard… Raven's child will produce destruction and Sakura's sire will guard her path and ensure it."

"That won't work." Terra said. "Speedy isn't Robin… as his name says, masked boys move at different paces."

Washu seemed more upset about the foiling of his plan than Slade. That hadn't been Slade's plan to begin with. "Washu, I was suggesting a different means to repay your debt to me. I desire her allegiance unshakably and you have executed such appropriate technology."

"You wish me to thieve her mind?"

"Just as you did Tetris."

"I possess another Slave crown; if it is your desire, I can take her will… nothing would give me more satisfaction than conquering the power that conquered my master… With my aid in dispose for the next four years and with much more work to be done, caging of that power will be quite beneficial."

"You overstep your boundaries. Sakura will be my servant and mine solely. If you desire an aid use Red X. Sakura is an infinitely better representation of what **was** the grandest challenge I ever faced."

"So may it be."

Inside her holding room, Sakura felt the scrambling waves intensify. She figured there would be some repercussion for her refusal in becoming a fighter for Slade's Syndicate, but she figured that that retaliation would come directly from Slade.

The strikes against her concentration were like claps of thunder. Those shuddering blows intensified as the portal twisted and allowed Washu, Terra and Slade to enter. Sakura tried to ready herself, but the blows intensified the closer Washu and Slade stood.

Slade leaned forward, grabbing Sakura's chin with his hand. Sakura tried to pull away, but the waving of her mind drew gasps and tears to her body.

"What are you doing to me?" Sakura asked, she could feel her Holy power twisting in her gut. Something wasn't right.

"Just preparing you to accept the offer you cannot refuse."

"I told you I'd never fight for you." Sakura spat before another charge whipped through her body. She groaned and her stomach clenched, her heart beat was erratic.

"What you say and what is appear to be two different things. You will fight for me Sakura. You will be my single solider of light amongst my sea of black."

"No. Get away from me!" Sakura's eyes flashed white for a moment, something Terra had never seen before. Her powers were responding in desperation, Terra knew that Sakura's powers were limited because they weren't inherent; at least that was what Sakura had said… Terra was beginning to worry that even Sakura didn't know the true depth of her powers. Terra's curiosity kept the girl quiet as Slade and Washu made their move.

Sakura's brown eyes widened when Washu revealed a thin ring of gold, just large enough to slip over a human head. It was exactly like the one Tetris wore.

"Do you recognize this?" Washu asked coldly.

"That's what you used to control Tetris' mind! Where is he? What did you do to him?"

"He's resting. While he sleeps, we'll need a suitable replacement… someone just as strong and just as gifted as he was… and we've found a favorable candidate."

"You can't control me!"

Sakura's eyes watched Slade take the Slave Crown from Washu.

"I can, with this. Say goodnight Sakura… when you wake up you'll be a general with a new name… how does Cheshire¹ suit you?"

Sakura's head thrashed futilely for a few moments as Slade attempted to crown her head. Washu grew tired of her resistance and with a single touch of his fingers to her forehead; a rippling of chaos ran through Sakura's mind and stole away her consciousness.

"There are more delicate ways of handling a female." Slade said, obviously upset by Washu's intrusion.

Washu said nothing and Slade moved forward, dropping the crown onto Sakura's head. The reaction was immediate. From the contact of the band on top of Sakura's head, her Holy power surged and escaped. The powerful white energy concentrated around the band, washing along it like smooth electricity. Her whole body took the white glow and in a flash of power, the slave crown was whipped from her head. The backlash knocked the unconscious girl backwards while the open eyes of the room watched the mangled crown soar to the opposite end of the room. The thin metal bounced against the floor, once, twice then settled. From where Terra was standing, should could see that whatever power was behind it was beaten by the Holy.²

Washu turned a furious eye between the shattered crown, the unconscious girl and the energy her body was still emitting energy.

"Her power is unclaimable, her mind is unturnable and her will to fight us is absolute. With no measure of weakness or doubt, she is useless."

Terra stepped in closer, getting a good look at that slack face of Sakura Chloe. She pushed her hair from over her right eye. "I wouldn't say that… I'd say she's about to pay me a valuable service." Terra turned to Slade and Washu. "Do me a favor and leave Sakura to me… I need a word… just us girls."

Terra watched Slade and Washu exit; their lack of concern for Sakura was thrilling. She could get away with murder… _And I will…_

End of Part Three

¹Cheshire is the mother of Speedy's daughter from the comics. Sakura isn't based on Cheshire or in anyway similar to her except for the fact that she's Speedy's girlfriend, but I like weaving in some of the comic story into this one.

²When Sakura was trying to break the crown on Tetris, it wasn't the crown repelling her, it was her Holy repelling the crown.


	39. Transient Part Four

Transient

Part Four

In two days Robin had more ideas than Celine and Cyborg had put together in three months. Robin's recovery had been fueled by fear, but while it had paralyzed the rest of the Titans, it drove Robin to do better.

The reconstruction was in its final phases and the network system had become, for the most part, functional. Despite what Celine's reports had disclosed about the possible side-effects of Robin's return from suspended animation, Robin didn't seem to be suffering from fatigue. Cyborg had readily relinquished Robin's role as leader of the Titans and Robin set about making the Titans a team again.

He had set the most sensitive to work in reconstruction; the Tameranians and Beast Boy were in charge of settling the internal fragments of Titans' Tower. Speedy, Aqualad and Bumble Bee were responsible for the out reach phase, getting as much information from their friends around the world; Hot Spot, Kid Flash, Wildebeest, anyone about anything that could be connected to the Syndicate and their movements. Cyborg and Celine were the grand communicators, siphoning lines of information from informants and pulling it into the Titans' headquarters.

It was Robin's role to put it all together. Robin sat with Celine and Cyborg, pouring over every inch of possibly relevant data and after one week Robin had four pieces of information to go on.

"Omicron, Cyborg, so far we know four things definitely. First, we know that Slade's Syndicate contains more than four members."

"Right, but that could be anyone." Cyborg replied.

"But there are two specific some ones I'm interested in. First is Brother Blood." Robin started.

"We know from the past that Blood worked with Slade if only for a short amount of time. Seeing as Blood didn't get what he wanted with the bargain, he's either still working with Slade to get his money's worth or he's looking for him for pay back." Celine added.

"Brother Blood can hide out and wait better than the rest of them. He could be anywhere he wants to be for as long as he wants to be. He might be wherever Slade's Syndicate is holding Rae. If Blood wants to be found, then he'll come to us." Cyborg posited.

"Waiting on Blood could take years." Celine replied.

"That's time we don't have." Cyborg retorted.

"Its time we don't need. Slade and Blood have a common ground. We need to find Professor Chang and see if there's something he's capable of telling us." Robin continued.

"I've already put Bumble Bee and Speedy on it. I don't know if she'll be able to find her in time."

"In time?"

"The AGU and the Justice League have no doubt caught wind of the attacks on the tower. I haven't given them the breadth of the situation--"

"Right now it would be best to keep our secrets," Robin interrupted, bringing Celine's attention to his face. "Before we can dispel any information we need to get to the bottom of this."

"Getting back to the beginning is presenting a problem. The Cave of Serin isn't where the map indicated three and a half months ago. It moved. To where, I'm not even sure where to start looking."

"I'm not sure how much that would help anyone," Celine began. "There's absolutely no way to know if the Syndicate hasn't moved from the cave to another location. The cave opened to a portal realm, they could be in an innumerable number of places."

"Then your task, Omicron, is to narrow it down. We don't have much to work with except that the release of Trigon can't destroy Earth unless it is actually freed on Earth. If they aren't on Earth now, they've got to come back."

"I don't know much about traveling between dimensions, but whole caves can't be transported between zones without making disturbances within the location it was taken from and where it ended up. If that cave moved off Earth, we'd have known about it." Cyborg replied.

"But the Cave of Serin is a tie between worlds and even between the end and the present. That isn't to say that the cave can't move between those functions… if we're to assume that we could detect the consequences of its movements and that we haven't… That only limits it to the continuum of Earth's sphere, all the alternative dimensions linked to earth."

"Then that's where we start." Robin said and watched Celine drop her scouter of her eye and type rapidly along her microcomputer.

"What else?" Cyborg asked.

Robin proceeded. "Two things, but they're both tied together with Slade's plot to end the world."

"We can't even be sure its Slade's plot. That Washu guy is a pretty bad dude." Cyborg interrupted.

"Which leads me to believe that Slade is responsible for Washu leaving us alive. Washu obviously has the capacity to annihilate us, but he didn't."

"Why would he do that?"

"Don't know. It could be something as simple as him not wanting to waste time and energy… or it could be that he wants us as spectators when he makes Raven free Trigon." Robin replied.

Cyborg frowned. "That sounds like Slade."

"That sounds like an opportunity." The Boy Wonder's masked eyes were heavy with determination. "It's been months and the world hasn't ended, that means beyond the preliminary actions, a move hasn't been made. That means there's still time to find Sakura and save Raven."

Celine's revived Console, a poor replicate of its original glory, buzzed to life. It was Bumble Bee.

"We found him. We got Prof Chang. I'm sending you the coordinates."

"Right. We'll be there ASAP. Omicron out."

The readouts printed and Robin tore the map cleanly away. The longer hairs that defied his hair prep fell around his face and across the corners of his mask. He turned to Cyborg who readied his cannon and Celine pulled her Firefly to her shoulder. Robin nodded.

…

Sakura woke up on her side with Terra crouching over her, poking her with one finger. Sakura's hand shot out to grab Terra by the collar, but her extension was interrupted with a hand from the Earth grabbed her by the wrist. Sakura gritted her teeth and tried to pull her arm away. From the contented grin on her face, Terra had no intention of letting her go.

It was the first time she had seen Terra use her power in her holding cell. She knew that Terra's control of the Earth was inherently better than her own will of Holy, but she also knew that Terra wasn't nearly as strong as to fight Washu's influence in this place. That meant Washu was letting her use her powers, that meant without a shadow of a doubt that Terra was choosing to work for Slade and there was no point in convincing herself that Terra was worthy of rescue.

"How long?" Sakura asked.

Terra tightened her brow. "How long what?"

"How long?" Sakura repeated again.

When Terra caught the question she laughed to herself. The hand holding Sakura's wrist melted and reshaped, extending in height and forcing Sakura to stand. The earth and sand pooled and spun under Terra's feet as she stepped forward, as the ground around Sakura pulled and ran, wrapping around the half-Japanese girl's ankles, then calves and hips. Sakura felt the cold result of Terra's power, but kept her eyes on the geomancer's face.

"Maybe," Terra began, "Maybe it was when Raven rejected me… or maybe when you embarrassed me in the training room… maybe longer… who knows?" Terra laughed. The earth pulled tightly around Sakura, leaving on her neck and shoulders exposed to the air.

"You know." Sakura replied, the soil began to solidify around her. Her Holy was seeping through the cracks and faults, but as those faults tightened, the energy peeked less and less. Terra smiled as Sakura's light show faded… _Light show… _

"I do know Sakura, but I'm not going to tell you… I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of knowing that. But I do want to share with you something infinitely more interesting."

Terra made three soil replicas: one of Sakura, one of Robin and one of Celine. Their faces were mutated with deep frowns and eyes without detail. They looked like weak puppets and Terra was going to make them dance.

"I'm making a list of who is going to be destroyed specially. I mean beside the whole end of the world thing. This is a special operation with special candidates… It's composed of the Titans and I've already ticked a name off the list."

The dirt Celine turned around smoothly before leaning over at the waist and exploding into dirt fragments that scattered against the cave walls. Sakura's mouth dropped agape, even as a clod struck her face.

_Celine… no… no…_

"Oh don't worry, Sakura, she'll have plenty of company. She already does actually… I'm sure she's feeling right at home with your dearly departed baby brother."

Sakura's eyes widened. Her breath clenched in her throat. "No!"

Terra tilted her head menacingly, a knowing smile on her lips. "'fraid so." The soil Robin spun around slowly before lifting a few feet of the ground and spasming, a small fine portion pulled away, spinning in a hollow sphere just outside its body. While the sphere twirled and whorled, the soil body Robin dropped to the ground. On impact the body broke apart. Terra watched with great interest as tears ran down Sakura's cheeks.

"It's a pale comparison," Terra said pointing to the still spinning sphere of sand. "But it gets the point across. Slade had Washu kill your little brother, taking away all his energy. From what I heard, it was a really painful way to go."

Sakura couldn't find the words to yell at Terra, to scream. Her tears flowed without caution, a burn spreading through her chest. _Dear Brother… it can't be true._ _You promised to always stand! You can't have…_

The sand sphere thrashed into Sakura's face. "Were you awake to see it? Robin's light show? Or were you too busy to scrapping yourself off the ground to see your brother's last moments of life?"

"Stop it." Sakura ground out, the sand mixed with the salt of her tears, burning her eyes and skin. Her breathing was ragged and she couldn't tell if it was from her chest expanding and deflating deeply and quickly or if it were part of Terra's game that was making the stone that imprisoned her feel tighter.

"Oh don't feel so bad Sakura. Soon, he'll have a good half of dozen friends to join him. Robin left a great parting gift. His training simulation based on all the Titans' fighting styles will give us all we need to wipe out your friends… Who should we start with? Starfire? Cyborg? Bumble Bee? Don't worry Sakura," Terra said, stepping forward and slapping Sakura's face. "I won't crush them all. I'll keep Speedy as a pet. I've always wondered what color his eyes are."

"I'm going to destroy you." Sakura ground out.

Terra rolled her eyes. "Wrong, so wrong. Now that Slade has no use for you… I can do whatever I want… and I want to start the annihilation of the rest of the Titans with you."

Sakura's soil puppet didn't spin at all. A wave of earth pulled over her and crushed the doll. The ground smoothed out, it was as if the puppet was never there.

…

Professor Chang was having difficulty breathing when Robin arrived. Anyone would if they had Bumble Bee's heel pinning them by the neck to a wall. The gifted fighter had Chang pinned firmly; his legs dangled a few inches off the floor. His fingers sought leverage in the chain linking of the wall behind him back, but the mad scientist could find no purchase. While his life dangled beneath a sharp black boot, Robin, Cyborg and Celine approached. Speedy jerked his heads towards Bumble Bee's captive. Robin moved forward. Bumble Bee turned her eye to the trio and waited for a signal to back down.

She didn't get one. Robin stared at the mad doctor, but Professor Chang didn't seem nearly as interested in Robin as he was in Celine. Celine pulled her Firefly across her shoulder, moving the barrel to push into the junction between Chang's neck and chin.

"That unpleasant scar seems to have affected your temperament." Professor Chang gasped out.

"You know a lot more about my scar than it just being unpleasant… you know about who gave it to me because you worked with him…"

"Him?"

"That attack reeked of more than Terra… there were traces of Slade and Brother Blood all over it… tell us where we can find him." Celine demanded.

"What makes you think I know that?"

From the sharp hiss of his oxygen tank, Robin could tell he was losing air. His masked eye turned to Bumble Bee who dropped her heel. Chang's relief only lasted a moment when Robin grabbed him by the collar and pinned him back to the wall. The thin metal shook with the force of the slam.

"We know you're a member of Slade's Syndicate. You're the tie between Brother Blood and Slade and when there's a movement made by the both of them, we know it comes back to you." Robin replied.

"I'm afraid you are overestimating me Robin. I am not a member of any syndicate. The restraints of such governments stifle my creativity."

Speedy strung back a bolt. The careening arrow stuck faster than Robin could react to. It was a fighter's reflexes that kept his grip on Chang as the arrow sliced in from the left, striking Chang's goggles and continuing to the right. The smoky frames splintered; the metal shattering and falling away. His dark grey eyes were open in surprise as his head turned to the left and stared at Speedy. The archer pulled another bolt.

"Slade would have given you plenty of opportunity to play and I know he has at least one playmate available. So stop your games and tell us what we want to know." Speedy said, his fingers were clenched tight to the back end of his charge, but he could let it go at any instant.

"You are quite a nasty boy. All the children in the Teen Titans are rotten children, especially the masked ones."

Robin slammed Chang again, having enough with his stalling.

"Tell me where to find Slade!"

"I can't tell you what I don't know. I am not a member of Slade's Syndicate. My role in Slade's goal appears to be a one time affair and as it seems, that relationship is to my benefit. I have no business with Slade or you. Unhand me."

"What about Blood?"

"I have not seen him since I completed Red Hawk." Yildindan replied. "If you do not believe me, consult the Brotherhood of Evil, I have been terribly occupied with their work for quite some time."

Robin's fingers relaxed their grip. Chang pulled his clothes away and stood, Robin standing at the same time. Chang adjusted his mangled glasses.

"Robin, do you believe him?" Cyborg asked.

"He's never given me a reason not to. If there's one thing Chang is, it's honest." Robin replied.

"He's also getting away." Bumble Bee added, pointing to a fleeing Chang.

"No he's not." Speedy took aim and let his charge escape. It took no time at all to catch the mad doctor and ensnare him in an impenetrable net. Professor Yildindan Chang fell to the floor struggling. He squirmed uninterrupted for a few seconds before Celine's grey boot pinned him down by the shoulder. Her Firefly dangled to her left as she bent over, resting her right arm on her elevated knee.

"If it's been so long since you've seen Red Hawk, how about I arrange a reunion for you… in jail?"

Chang ceased struggling.

…

It only occurred to Robin after a night of tortured sleep how much the others were affected, truly affected by Raven and Sakura's disappearance. It was no argument that Robin felt the fullest brunt of the lost, his girlfriend and his sister were the victims to Slade's plot. He had woken up that morning feeling sweat covering his body, his hair sticking to his face. He couldn't remember the dream he had, but he did feel the chill of it; if things had been different, Raven would have been right there beside him, holding his head in her hands and taking away his fear.

Interrupted tender moments often leave many things unsaid. Robin realized that he never told Raven that he loved her and never got to feel the wonderful uncertainty that came with her saying it back. They had waited, had been delicate with each other… and there was a possibility that he'd be paying for it for the rest of his life.

But while he had the uncertainty of never, Speedy was facing "it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all" scenario and it appeared to be kicking his butt.

The others who had emotional fragility had outlets. Blackfire could turn to Aqualad, Star and D'ucel could bury themselves in their tasks and Beast Boy followed Celine and Cyborg like a shadow, hoping to be of some help.

Robin had been worried that the green changeling, whom no one referred to as the little guy anymore, as his height was rocketing by the day, would be the one most damaged by what had happened. But with Celine and Cyborg always able to spare him a glance or a task, the youngest Titan was the first to start being normal. The other day Celine had accidentally made Beast Boy smile and for the whole day, everyone's chins were held just a bit higher…

Except Speedy's.

No matter what they said about Robin and his secrecy, the truth was the only person who knew **anything** about Speedy, outside of Aqualad, was Sakura. With Aqualad occupied constantly, Speedy was the odd man out. It was only the way that Speedy's masked sagged that Robin knew the archer wasn't sleeping. His work was consistent; while he wasn't terribly competent at computer work, if he was given a task, he did it, did it fast and did it well.

Robin could hear Speedy's fingers typing against the laptop on the table. He had barely eaten the lunch that Blackfire was clearing away. His fingers had drummed the whole half an hour. When Professor Chang had turned out to be a bust, the Titans had been sent back to square one. Speedy hadn't taken it well.

The consequences of another draw back had affected morale and seeing as Speedy hadn't much of a reserve to begin with, he was bound to break. The team moved in their orders. Beast Boy was working with Celine at her console, Cyborg and Aqualad were in the city out on patrol and Blackfire and Star were finishing odds and ends.

They were the witnesses.

Robin closed his computer. The Titans' leader looked over Speedy's computer at Speedy's sleep deprived features. His handsome face has lost much of its natural radiance; the only light it produced was what it reflected from his computer monitor.

"Hey Speedy, you've been having at that search for a long time… maybe you should rest for a little while."

"I'm fine."

"Speedy, no you're not… Look, I know you're worried… but pushing yourself too hard isn't going to make the answer fall out of the sky."

Robin was wrong.

The explosion threw both masked heroes from their chairs. Dusk kicked up and blinded the Titans temporarily as the roof sunk in. Robin shook his head and beside him Speedy sat up. Beast Boy had grabbed Celine's shoulders to hold the red head steady, but the pair were thrown to the floor. The other red head and her sister were able to keep their ground.

What Robin saw was like a memory being played again. The form that was naturally graceful, full of life and energy was falling, dropping down like a stone into water. Just like their mother, just like his father, her body arrangement was awkward. As her body plummeted downward her loose hair flapped above her. Her body crashed against the T-table, landing in the debris from the roof. Robin's eyes saw the shadows of her fall, heard her land and heard Speedy scream.

"SAKURA!"

The masked fighters both leapt onto the table, taking crouches by the girl's side. Speedy shook her shoulders, trying to get her awake, but the girl was not moving. Robin's eyes were painfully wide, his mind couldn't seem to connect what he was seeing. Sakura was laying perfectly still, absolutely still. Speedy's movements moved Sakura's body and Robin couldn't tell if she was breathing or if it were Speedy's pitiful sobs that made Sakura's chest rise and fall. Speedy clutched the formless girl to his chest. Robin's fingers reached out to touch her, almost touched her when a voice above his head entered his attention. His eyes remained locked on Sakura as Terra began to speak.

"Consider this a warning, Titans. You're all slated for destruction. Don't worry about finding us. One by one, I'll find you."

Robin turned his head then, in the short turn he could see Beast Boy's face plummet, he could see Tameranian might charging. He could see the outlook of his team changing within less than a second.

"Where's Raven?" Robin yelled.

Terra seemed slightly taken aback by his voice, but her voice didn't show it. She stared directly down at him, her eyes seeing only the T-table, Robin, Speedy and Sakura. "She's resting… bringing up the Apocalypse can take a lot out of a girl." Terra narrowed her eyes cruelly. "I wouldn't worry so much about Raven… She's in good hands… can't say that about Sakura."

Robin turned his head for a second to look back at his sister and Terra escaped on her floating stone…

She escaped Robin's vision but not Starfire's grasp. Star and Blackfire had moved at the same time, when Terra had turned her eyes for just a second to glare down at Sakura and Robin. The flying sisters charged, chasing Terra with fury in their eyes. The faster Blackfire drove ahead while Starfire pinned her from behind. Even though Terra knew that Star was behind her, she kept all of her attention on Blackfire.

"You will pay for what you have done to our friends." Blackfire sneered.

"I haven't even begun yet to hurt your friends, **Blackfire**… but when I do… you'll have a front row seat."

As Blackfire drew her hand back to purge a Blackbolt, Terra shifted her body. The blonde geomancer was fast enough in dropping down a few feet that only the tips of her hair felt the heat of Blackfire's furious energy. Starfire's chest felt the brunt of it. The blow surprised Starfire, causing her to double over in pain. Her down cast eyes had the perfect view as Terra retaliated with a raising column of stone, drawn from her riding rock, slammed into Blackfire's neck and stole away her wakefulness. Terra only spared a single glance to the rapidly falling girl, long enough to watch the foolish Starfire dive after her. Terra made her escape, uninterrupted after that point.

Terra's mind focused on two things. First was how good it felt to put Blackfire in her place. Just like Sakura, Blackfire had a spot near the top of her list, but she was going to wait to bring her to her end. Striking her down so easily had brought her a feeling that would satisfy her for the time being.

The second was that she had seen him, had heard his voice. Robin wasn't dead. Terra thought for a moment, bringing both hands behind her back. _That's a handy piece of information… I think I'll keep that to myself…_

End of Chapter Eleven


	40. FarCry Part One

FarCry

Part One

It would be difficult to decide who was kicking themselves more: if it were Blackfire, if it were Robin, if it were Star, Beast Boy, Celine or Speedy. The level and depth of their anguish was variant but undeniably deep.

Star sat on her bed, holding her arm. Blackfire sat beside her, with her face in both hands. Starfire could almost see the memory that was playing in front of her sister's eyes, that moment that had been so wonderful for Blackfire just a few months ago.

ºThat night on Tameran they had all stood together, Blackfire, Terra, Sakura, Star and Raven. The night had been dissolving, and Blackfire had just left Aqualad's hospital room to get the shut eye when Raven pulled her aside and hugged her.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked.

"I think so yes. Aqualad is not seriously harmed." Blackfire replied.

"I'm glad." Sakura replied.

"How's Foxfire?" Terra asked.

"His wounds are not of the physical." Starfire said sadly and Blackfire nodded in agreement.

"I need to speak to him, but I cannot think of the appropriate words to say." Blackfire said. "I am always hurting people I care about."

Starfire grabbed her sister by the face, gently cupping the older girl's cheeks in both hands. "Sister, do not say such things!" Blackfire tried to look away, but Star wouldn't let her. "You have made mistakes, but we have all made mistakes, what matters is what we do with our futures." Raven and Sakura nodded in agreement.

"I do not deserve such good friends." A tear slipped across her cheeks.

Raven shook her head. "Blackfire… you are still our friend and I believe you're a good person. You wanted to do better and you have. I trust you to keep being a good friend."

Blackfire smiled. So did Star.

"So," Sakura said, "Not to break up the mood or anything, but Speedy was wondering if I could keep that dress."

The girls' laughter was an uproar. º

_I trust you to keep being a good friend… Raven trusted me and I have betrayed that trust… _

"Sister," Starfire began, placing her hand on Blackfire's shoulder. "You must not feel bad. What has happened could not be stopped."

"Yes it could have! If I had not been so foolish, you could have caught Terra instead of rescuing me!"

"It is not your fault, nor is it mine. What Terra has done… it is something we could not stop. I regret, too, not catching her, but I do not regret rescuing you."

"Raven trusted me to be a good friend! A good friend would not have let that Bruvian Norkbat get away."

Starfire's eyes widened at the curse word, such a term was on levels with the term used to insult Tameranians; it wasn't used nearly as often, but it was equally as devastating to the person who used the term as to the one being insulted. Starfire thought for a moment, tried to think of something to soothe the unrest they both felt in their hearts.

"Sister, we will find Raven."

"I feel so useless…"

"Please, we are all very saddened, but there is a chance to find her… we have already found Sakura."

"Terra gave her to us." Blackfire corrected, the words bringing displeasure to her face.

Starfire shook her head slightly, in that gentle way that she did. "From what I overheard, it is possible that Terra has also given us a way to find Raven as well."

…

Speedy had laid Sakura as gently as a new born onto the bedding in the medical room. The other Titans were afraid to come closer to the pair, Robin and Celine the only ones able to step more than a foot into the room. Speedy's fingers traced along the sides of Sakura's slack face. She was breathing, he had felt it on his neck when he had held her close.

_They're playing a game with our lives… they're stringing us along by the love the Titans have for each other… The love Robin has for Raven, the love I have for Sakura, the love the Titans have for all of us…_

Celine had yielded to Speedy and allowed him to place the monitor patches onto Sakura's body. His fingers had been careful, ghosting over the bruises on her face, on her chest and stomach, each one was a world wound to Speedy. Robin's throat clenched, his masked eyes could see the whole of the desperation in his teams' faces. He could feel it to his bones.

_Is this how they felt the first time, when I was laying there? Sakura, please be okay… our friends can't go through this again… I don't know if I can…_

Celine looked from her diagnostic readings to her friends hovering over the damaged Sakura. Speedy had laid a moist cloth against Sakura's forehead and used another to wipe off her face and neck. He lifted one of her hands in his, her slack fingers nearly floating in his palm they were so lifeless. Celine couldn't tell if Speedy was close to tears or rage as his hands cupped his girlfriend's fingers. His breathing was hard, uneven; he looked ready to fall apart.

Celine's attention turned from the pair when he heard Cyborg yell. "BB! Wait!" Celine's eyes had caught just a trace of the boy as he fled down the hallway with the cybernetic older Titan chasing after him. Celine's heart constricted, her throat tightened and in her sights, one by one, the Titans left the hallway to give Celine, Robin and Speedy alone time with Sakura.

She had turned her head away from computers just in time to see Speedy move the cloth he was using to clean Sakura down her arm towards her fingers.

"Stop!" She said firmly.

Robin turned to Celine with his eyes narrowed. Speedy spoke.

"I want to get all this dirt off of her… all the traces of whatever Terra did to her."

"That dirt might be the only clue to getting back to where Terra did it."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, his gaze bouncing slowly between Sakura and Celine.

"If Sakura and Raven were held in the same place, that dirt could give us a clue to where that place is."

Celine rummaged for a few seconds before she found a kit beneath a cabinet and brought it over to Speedy. "It's obvious from the bruises that Terra attacked her… and knowing Terra she probably used the earth to do it…"

Robin caught on quickly as Celine opened the kit. "Terra can't generate soil, so she would have to use whatever's nearby… probably what was under her feet."

"And Sakura wouldn't go down without a fight… she probably caught some of it under her finger nails… if I can get some to analyze, I might be able to trace it back to wherever the Syndicate is hiding."

It became apparently clear that Speedy didn't want to relinquish his hold on the wounded Titan. Celine didn't know what to say to inspire such generosity and while her throat clenched, Robin stepped forward. "Speedy, this is as hard for me as it is for you… but we need to do this…We know that Sakura's out of harm's way… we can't lose the chance to do the same with Raven."

Speedy tightened his grip on one hand and gently spread Sakura's fingers for Celine to clean. Celine tried not to look back at Speedy, because she knew from the trembling of Sakura's fingers that Speedy was trembling.

"We're going to make the Syndicate pay and we're going to get Raven back… and it's going to be from this… whether or not she knew it, Speedy, Sakura's going to have a big part in saving Raven and the rest of the world."

"Right now, I just want to save Sakura. Do you think it's the same thing that happened to Robin?"

"Don't know yet, I've got a few more tests to run before I can say anything, so far my tests are inconclusive… besides the broken leg nothing is physically wrong with her."

"There's something wrong." Robin said. "Sakura doesn't just go down without… without something terrible happening… I want to know what it is and what we can do about it."

Celine closed the collection jar, the tiny particles of soil weren't enough to line the bottom, but it was something… and something was better than nothing. The slender genius rubbed her forehead, her fingers ghosting over the scar on her forehead.

Robin saw it all, saw Celine take on a strong face as she felt the double impact of what Terra had done to Sakura and to her. Robin gazed at his sister's slack form, remembering before when another monster had incapacitated her body and left her for dead. Robin left Sakura in Speedy's care and fled to his own room.

Speedy held Sakura's palm against his lips, trying to find some calm with the weak throb of her heartbeat echoing in her skin. The uncertainty of loss was replaced with the uncertainty of tomorrow. Celine's initial diagnostics had all but presumed Sakura dead, just as it had with Robin. But like her brother, Sakura couldn't just end and very weakly Sakura persisted. After Starfire, Speedy had felt the impact of Robin's suspension from reality the greatest and only after only a week, he was back to where he was for three months.

_Will it be the same this time? Will he have to wait three days? Three hours? Three months? Longer?_

…

Days past and Sakura wasn't recovering… neither were the rest of the Titans. As Celine and Cyborg moved forward with the analysis of the soil samples they recovered, the rest of the Titans drew backwards when the remembered where the soil had come from. Getting a part of their team back was a great relief, but seeing her in such a weak state broke their hearts and made them fear for Raven.

The emotional outpours had all but incapacitated D'ucel and the Tameranian warrior spent most of his time away from the tower in isolation or on networking missions. A lot of that emotional burden had come from Robin and Speedy and also Blackfire, but the most crippling of those negative and sorrowful feelings were borne from Beast Boy.

The changeling had been in the room: had seen Sakura fall, had seen Terra flee, but from where he had stood, it was unlikely that Terra had seen him. Beast Boy was the kind to have his heart constantly on his shoulder, no matter how often he was pushed. When he saw Terra, heard her voice filled with such hate and disregard for the lives of his friends, it felt like dying on the inside and living, breathing, suffering on the outside.

Celine and Cyborg waited outside of Beast Boy's room.

"Beast Boy, won't you please come out?" Celine called through the door. Just as it had been for days, Beast Boy didn't respond. Cyborg looked over Celine's shoulders to the solid door marked Beast Boy. He could see Celine's shoulders dropping with her sigh. One of his large hands fell across her arm. The girl genius turned her head to look at it, then turned even more to look at him.

"Don't get yourself down about this, Omicron. He was the same way the first time Terra betrayed us. No amount of threatening to beat his door down or pleading is going make him readier than he would be than if we left him alone. Maybe we should leave him alone for a bit."

"I don't know…"

"We're all feeling a bit down, but the best thing we can do is keep going… I'm going to check and see if Fox has made any more contacts."

Celine nodded and watched him go. Her pretty face was tight for a moment with a frown as his proud shoulders seemed to be drooping more and more by the day as they were making less and less headway.

Celine didn't want to think about the full ramifications of their continuing failure. It was something that burned at the girl genius every night when she took her three hour sleep on the couch. She hadn't slept in her own bedroom since Sakura's return. It had felt empty before the girl was retrieved, but with her roommate in a state where Celine could do no good for her, sleeping in that room didn't feel right.

It burned Celine to no end to know that no aspect of her genius was able to help the Titans. All her tests and connections were getting them no closer to stopping and reversing the terrible plan that they didn't know the full extent of.

The only thing Celine knew the full extent of was the way the plot against the rest of the world was affecting the Titans: specifically the Titan on the other end of the door. Celine sat down on the floor, her left shoulder pressed against the wall, inches separated her from Beast Boy. It was far enough that the distance felt crippling.

"There's a lot of blame going around…" Celine began, her voice was loud enough to carry through the wall, but obviously meant for one listener. "And none of its pointed to where it's supposed to be… You… Robin… Me… Cyborg… we all feel guilty for what's happened. We all should have seen it coming, we should have been more careful… but that's the consequence of youth and love and friendship. No matter what we did… Terra would have done what she did… we can't blame ourselves for the anger and spite in her nature. We tried our best to make her feel she was welcome."

"Did we?"

Celine turned towards the door. Beast Boy stood, looking ragged as if his emotional pain had poured out and punished his body.

Celine nodded. Beast Boy looked down and distinctly away from Celine. "I'm not so sure…"

Celine stood up and hugged the shorter Beast Boy. He closed his eyes for a moment, then raised his arms gently to push her away.

"I let her down Celine… don't you see? I… I ignored her when she needed me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I never wanted her to get hurt ever… but I couldn't forget the past… so I tried to look away… tried to see her as a different person… but she wasn't different. She was the same sad, scared girl that she always was… and I let her keep feeling that way."

"Beast Boy… you were the best friend that girl ever had… it's in no way your fault that she didn't… doesn't appreciate that. You're a good person and I refuse to let you feel like this is your fault."

Beast Boy shook his head in the negative. "You were the only one who was good to her."

"Some how I don't think she saw it that way. We were all good to her in our own way… we're paying a terrible price for it… but would you rather have it any other way?"

Beast Boy balled his fist and threw the top half of his body into his yell. "Of course! I wish she hadn't done what she did! I wish we were smart enough to see what she was doing! I wish I could take back all the awful things I let her do!"

"But you wouldn't ever regret giving her that second chance would you?" Celine asked.

Beast Boy turned his eyes away, his lungs forcing his chest to rise and fall painfully. It took him a few seconds to calm himself, when his mind wrapped around Celine's meaning. "I know what you want me to say… and in my heart I know its true… but the rest of me can't let myself believe that."

Celine shook her head. "Feelings are feelings because we can't control them… that's why they're ours. The irrational part of our hearts, hope is what makes us what we are… that kind part in your heart should be what you believe in Beast Boy… please don't ever let that beautiful thing die out."

Beast Boy stepped in and hugged her, his chin pressed into her neck. He could feel the way her heart throbbed powerfully against his chest when her arms wrapped around him. He swore for a moment that Celine cried right there.

_She knows the human heart because she loves a mechanical man… _

Beast Boy pulled away from her. He was right. There was a single tear running down her cheek. When she noticed that he noticed, she quickly wiped the tear away.

"We'll figure this out Beast Boy. We'll find Raven and save Sakura and… we'll do what we can for her… I…"

Beast Boy reached up and pushed away the remaining tear from off her cheek. His fingers skirted higher, his thumb just missing the end of Celine's scar; that wound from Terra that just wouldn't heal.

"I know Celine… Thank you…"

Beast Boy smiled and Celine smiled back. He turned to walk back into his room when he stopped and gave her one more look over his shoulder. "He's lucky to have you." His door slid shut; Celine did her best to walk away.

_If that's the way it is, than that's the way it is._

End of Part One


	41. FarCry Part Two

FarCry

Part Two

ºflashbacksº

Those weeks became months and eventually a year passed and it became obvious to them all that the Titans were breaking down. The results of all Celine's tests on the soils were inconclusive and with no more activity being linked to Slade's Syndicate, they had nothing more to go on.

Robin walked slowly through Titans' tower. The feeling of life was slowly being restored. Beast Boy kept his chin high enough that it wasn't actually touching his chest and for the time being that was good enough. Aqualad had helped Blackfire find some sense of calm and Robin swore, if only for a moment, that Starfire's eyes were bright, like when he had first met her, when they had first became a team.

Robin's slow walk brought him to a destination that he found himself spending more time in than many others. He entered the dimly lit room, feeling the door slide closed, just as he heard it. Robin's masked eyes took in the sight of it and frowned, he hadn't realized he'd left the table overturned. Robin walked over to the table and righted it.

Robin had only recently finished restoring Raven's room. After Celine and Sakura's, Raven's room had been the most damaged. The cleanliness of the carnage had told Robin that this was a specific target and from the thoroughness of the destruction, Robin knew that the bomb planters were trying to erase every trace of Raven from the Titans' memories.

_They can't take something so powerful as the bond she has to the Titans…_Robin thought, his masked eyes trailing the room. The dark colors were highlighted with the light scattering in from the window. He could step into the sunlight and feel warm like he did when she was around him. _They can't erase something so strong as how I feel about you… I don't care if I have to spend the rest of my life looking for you Raven, I will find you and when I do, I will never let you go. I'll keep you safe… _

Robin sat down on the edge of Raven's bed, his body remembering the last time she had been in that room, the last time they had slept with their heartbeats pushed together. Robin touched his chest gently, feeling the slow throb rack his core. It had shocked him once; when he had rescued Raven that night she had brought fear itself to the tower, that their heartbeats matched measure for measure. When she was excited, he often was too, when he was peaceful, it generally extended to her…

_Despite my worry, my heart has been calm… does that mean you're okay?_

He didn't know what drew his attention to the ground, but his eyes wandered downward and found something trapped beneath his foot. Robin shifted his boot and retrieved the slightly singed object. Its fur was tattered and smelled like smoke.

_Raven's bunny… _Robin's fingers traced over the wonderful thing, his face tightened when he realized an ear was missing. He looked around near the skirts of Raven's bed. He bent over slightly to extend his reach underneath the bed and found the torn off appendage. He held the severed fluff to the rest of the bunny.

_It's not so bad. I can fix it. _

The marble eyes couldn't shine with the dirt of time caked across the polished beads. Robin scrubbed them for a moment with his gloved thumb, some sense of sparkle returned. The fragile toy reminded him of Raven, in more ways than one and as the seasons were starting their change again, memories flooded to him.

Robin used to love September. September was the month when everything that changed was something new and promising. It was when the leaves became orange and red, when the wind picked scents and tossed them across the water. It was when school started for the students of Central Jump Elementary School and when one lucky homeroom class got to meet the Titans.

It was something the Titans had been doing since Starfire became their fifth. They had routinely rescued a busload of second and third graders from the thrash and wail of Cardiac.¹ Starfire's strength had saved the bus from tipping and Beast Boy's hammering ape form had sent Cardiac running home to the mechanical villain's equivalent of a mommy.

ºIt was when the naïve Tameranian lowered the bus that the team realized that they weren't screaming in fear, the kids were cheering. In an excited mob, they poured from the bus and surrounded the five superheroes like a sticky fingered plague. Robin nearly lost his utility belt twice and some children were in the risk of being flown home, against their will, if one more person tugged on Raven's cloak.

Beast Boy basked in their attention, morphing and telling jokes as fast as he could. Starfire was still getting used to Earth terminology, but she could tell from the drool and adoring stares that 'hot' and 'cool', though thermometrically different, were still very good.

It had been Cyborg's yell that had calmed the riot. Two boys had managed to climb onto his shoulders and one thought it was a good idea to knock on the cybernetic teen's skull… apparently it wasn't.

The kids were barely fazed by Cyborg's command to knock it off. They all circled around the Titans and to Raven, the ring of eight and nine years olds was the most threatening thing she had faced in a long time.

"Look guys, we really appreciate your enthusiasm, but please calm down; we're just doing our jobs." Raven had said simply.

A brown haired boy spoke up. "But you're so cool!"

"Yeah!" Another boy added. "Your powers are so awesome!"

"This is the first time we've seen the Teen Titans up close before! We're so lucky!"

"We want to see what you can do!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"Won't you show us?"

"Please! You can come to our class!"

And they did. The second grade homeroom had been amazed by the sheer diversity of the Teen Titans. The cool technology Cyborg possessed, the awesome toys that Robin had, every one of Beast Boy's transformation, and it was a little unclear if the fan boys were in awe of Starfire's strength or her out and out beauty. Before the hour past, their eyes turned from the four Titans who were showing off, to the one that wasn't.

"Miss Raven? What can you do?" A boy with blond hair and brown eyes asked. All the children stopped their play and the Titans hid knowing smiles. Raven pulled their attention to the front of the room, bending down just slightly to give all the sitting children her eye contact.

"Me… I can do a lot of things…"

"Like what?" The curious child, that Titans had anticipated there being **at least** one of, gave Raven her lead in.

"I can listen… I can use my head to think things through. I can use my heart to feel happiness and sadness and responsibility."

"But I can do that!" A brunet girl piped up.

"Yes, you can." Raven replied with a soft smile. "We're all super, for some of us it's because we develop special powers, but all of us have one thing in common. We have hearts and minds to do good things. When we all work together---" The Titans stepped closer into a tight group around the purple eyed mystic. "We're stronger than anything else in the world. We can move mountains and stop bad things."

"I can move mountains?" A little girl looked down at her hands.

"And even bigger things," Robin continued. He had gently laid his hand on Raven's shoulder as he stepped forward. Raven relinquished the spotlight. "I wasn't born with super powers like my friends were, but I'm just as super as they are, because I use my mind and my heart to help people; whether it's someone we know and care about, or just someone else who needs our help."

Starfire stepped forward, taking her place by Robin's side. "We can all do our part to make the planet Earth a friendly place. There are many wondrous things about all of us--"

Cyborg moved to the side, all the children's attention was shifted to him. "And it doesn't take much to show it. Just showing that you care is enough."

Beast Boy dropped his arm over Cyborg's. He had to stand on the teacher's desk to do it, but he did it. "The best way to show you're a superhero is just to be a good friend: just like the Titans are to each other."

Robin nodded. "Right. We're a great team because we're great friends."²

Raven shifted her hips. "That and we kick bad guy butt."

The children erupted in excitement. The children crowded and cheered and picked their favorite Titans. The young scientists picked Cyborg, the animal lovers hovered around Beast Boy, and the boys after pretty faces stayed near Starfire. Robin and Raven had small crowds, the quite girls and boys stayed with the pale skinned magic user and over his infinitely more rambunctious crowd of boys who wanted cool masks and weapons; Robin could see Raven talking with the children, showing them tiny portions of her power.

The day before, Raven had worried that showing her powers would frighten rather than excite the children, so she had at first opted not to go. But Robin had insisted: they were a team of five, not four. So Raven had thought of a way that she could be a part of that team of five without risking harm should her emotions flair up. But Robin could see that the quiet Titan was comfortable in the eyes of equally quiet little boys and girls. It was when he saw Raven give a genuine smile that he decided that the Titans would be coming back to Central Jump Elementary School every year, if only to get the girl to smile.

It was a commitment they had kept and that year was the first time they had gone without Raven. The children seemed to be aware of the new team that the Titans brought forth. Most of them were old enough to remember hearing about the Titans doing this or saving that when they were in kindergarten and had waited in anticipation for two years to get to see them.

Cyborg realized that the children immediately noticed the shift in players. New faces weren't so uncommon a change in any group: sometimes things changed. But from the look of most of the children, as great of cast members as Aqualad and Bumble Bee were, the children were not as excited as they would have been if the Titans dream team had been present and accounted for.

The kids felt the same way the Titans did. But children were children and their curiosity held them for most of the hours that the Titans were in their sights. The children still laughed in delight at Beast Boy's transformation, Starfire's smile and Robin's arsenal. When the minutes remaining were less than ten, the Titans realized that they hadn't prepared a wind down, because that responsibility had always fallen on one Titan. The one Titan that was unaccounted for.

The room had all but calmed down when a blonde girl with huge blue eyes piped up and asked the question on everyone's mind. "Where's Miss Raven?"

Robin felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. The rest of the Titans flinched internally. Starfire bit her lip. When Cyborg and the others couldn't think of anything to say, Beast Boy would tell them a lie.

"She's sick."

The children frowned collectively. "Superheroes get sick?"

Cyborg nodded and knelt down so he was only looking down at them from a few inches, rather than the few feet he had over them when he stood. "We're just like everyone else; we feel hurt, we feel scared and sometimes we feel bad."

"Even superheroes need help… that's why there are so many of us." Aqualad's smile captured every single young heart in the room, including the teacher's.

Starfire made to continue. "That is why friends are so important."

They almost fell into an old routine, but everyone didn't know the lines. Robin almost wanted an attack on the city to grant them reprieve from the wandering eyes and knowing glances of thirty pairs of eight year old eyes. Instead, the teacher called 'Titans Time' over and the children began to fill out of the classroom.

_Titans… time is over… Does she even know how close she is to the truth with that simple statement? _The truth was it was hard to feel like a team, when they couldn't do the thing they had promised each other so many years ago: to look out for each other. Robin squeezed his eyes shut and might have kept them that way for longer, if there wasn't a tapping on his arm.

It was the blonde girl, who had asked about Raven. The girl's blue eyes were obviously worried. The pitch in her young voice only made it audible.

"Is Miss Raven really okay?" She asked.

Robin nodded. In her face he could see that she didn't entirely believe him. He could almost see the conflict: that she didn't believe him but had no real reason not to trust what he said. Robin patted the girl's head. Her smile was tight and half committed, but it appeared to the Titans' leader that for now his answer satisfied her.

"I hope she feels better."

"Is she your favorite?" Robin asked simply.

The blonde girl nodded. Robin's hand dropped to her shoulder, the gloved appendage gave her a slight squeeze.

"Mine too. I'll let her know you're thinking about her… what's your name?"

"Ellie Parker³… can you ask her something for me?"

Robin nodded.

"Ask her if she kept it close to her heart like she promised."

Robin frowned. "Kept what?"

"I gave her a green monkey two years ago when we met at a carnival in Steel City… she promised she would keep it close to her heart. I hope she did, because I kept her in mine." The girl heard the warning call of her teacher and ran to keep up with her class. With one toss of her head, she turned back to the Boy Wonder. "I'll send her a get well card! Bye Robin!"

Robin had nearly collapsed at the spot.º

It had happened less than three days ago, but already the letter came from Ellie in the mail. Robin had thought to open it, but instead had left in on Raven's desk to be the first thing that welcomed her home, after Robin's kiss.

Robin could remember every single moment where Raven was beautiful: when her eyes were bright, when her hand fell into his. Every memory of her brought a trace of doubt, but then surged with hope.

_I'm not helpless; we'll find a way to get you back to me Raven. _

…

Only one person had ever accused Robin of being helpless and it was Speedy.

One year had become two and no amount of normalcy could relieve the masked fighters. Every trace of sabotage had been removed from the tower. Except one. Robin was preparing to storm out of the room with Speedy's angry glare following behind him and Celine's broken heart to haunt him.

Life had continued. Just because the Titans were fractured, the crime in Jump City did not stop. Johnny Rancid, Dr. Light, and Cardiac still moved through the city and the Titans still made sure they got what was coming to them. Life consisted of worry and routine and more routine for the maturing members of the former Teen Titans.

Robin held his bo-staff parallel to the ground. To his right Beast Boy was pulling himself off the ground and in the air Star and Foxfire were ready to go. Cyborg's beam cannon was trained on their enemy; the ever illuminated Dr. Light.

It wasn't noon yet when the villain had made his hand at a bank in Steel City. The light obsessed anti-hero seemed pleased with himself and the sack full of money he had stolen. He also seemed pleased that his dark rival wasn't in his opposition.

Dr. Light flexed his light whip. "Where's Raven? This is the third bank I've robbed in a month and still she hasn't shown up. What's it going to take to get her attention?"

Robin sneered. Cyborg's lip curled and the beam cannon charged. "Raven's got better things to do than waste her time with you!" The beam shot and Dr. Light leapt to the side to avoid it. He rolled awkwardly but was on his feet in seconds.

"I think she's afraid of the light!"

"You don't know anything about her!" Robin yelled.

"I do know dark always trembles before light! In darkness the weak always hide, but the power of light will remove all traces of shadow from the world! And where will Raven be then?"

Robin struck. Dr. Light had no means to defend against a heart-stricken Boy Wonder. No one did. The other Titans could only watch as Robin spun out with devastating kicks, punches and throws. Such heated attacks were usually saved for the likes of Slade and his minions, but Dr. Light was providing a valuable outsource for release. Light screamed for mercy as Robin pummeled the villain, but Robin didn't stop. Before the bum rush was over, but long after Dr. Light was out of the fight, the other Titans interfered. Fox and Starfire flew in, D'ucel pulled Dr. Light from Robin's attacks and Starfire pulled Robin away from his fury.

Robin's arm trembled in Starfire's grasp and had the girl not had the strength of fifty men, she might have struggled to hold him back. But Robin couldn't be held captive against his will, not by Starfire at least. The other Titans watched with disbelief when Robin pulled himself free from her and pushed her away. The red head stumbled, her feet tripping over themselves and she dropped to her bottom on the street.

Her green eyes turned up to him with disbelief, as a half dozen pair of unbelieving eyes did the same. Robin's breathing slowed, his chest expanding then contracting as his heart beat calmed and the adrenaline poured out of him. Starfire could see from his expression that he realized what he had done in his anger. The gentle alien pulled herself up without his assistance.

No one could think of what to say as the Titans' leader turned his head in shame. His brow was narrowed but only Starfire was close enough to see that brow tremble. It had been two years, two years since the Titans had last seen Raven; last heard her speak, last heard her breathe. Everyday was shaking Robin; the growing Titan was feeling less and less like himself.

"I'm sorry." Robin finally said. The other Titans had kept their distance, but Starfire could hear him loud and clear. The green eyed Tameranian was the first of the Titans to start physically changing. Though Beast Boy was getting unquestionably taller and the length of Robin's hair was defying his gel, Starfire was becoming a woman. Her growth had entitled her to many things: fuller hair, thinner cheeks and eyes that weren't bright with naivety, but bright with intelligence.

The beautiful alien princess nodded her head, her thick locks bouncing gently with the motion. "We are all greatly concerned," Starfire began, keeping Robin from giving an explanation. It wasn't necessary; they all knew what was bothering him. "Your actions… I understand."

Robin frowned and said nothing. The green eyed woman in front of him said nothing more. He watched her for a moment, as she took to the sky to help Foxfire deliver Dr. Light to the police. When she was younger, she would have waited for him to say something, anything, to prove to herself that it would be alright. But the dynamics of the Titans had changed a lot since they were kids. They had grown up and changed, it had happened so fast that Robin couldn't grab it, hadn't wanted to grab because that growing up had come with his growing feelings for Raven.

_She says she understands, _Robin thought as he pushed some hair from his forehead. _I wonder if she does… _Starfire's friendship was genuine, but she lacked the capacity to understand what Robin felt because she didn't know desperation. Not to the degree he felt.

Robin boarded the R-cycle and began the stiff ride home. It seemed as if Thunder had been hammering the sky without Lightning lately. For days Jump City was held in shadow. The shift in mood hadn't been lost on any of the Titans.

…

Most of the Titans were gathered in the common room. Speedy, Celine, Robin and obviously Sakura had remained in the medic room. Cyborg sat cautiously with his back pressed against the seat cushion. Blackfire had opted to stand, as Aqualad hunched forward with his chin tucked into his braided hands.

After Robin's incident that afternoon, the rain had started falling and it beat down on the windows behind them like an eerie background music. Two years had passed, nearly to the day, and the Titans were no less in the dark about what was happening than they had been when only a single day had gone by.

Nothing about what was happening versus what they knew made sense. While Jump City and sometimes as far as Bludhaven were littered with villains that the Titans had to stop, none of the big bads were making a move. Not Blood, not Slade, not Terra, not Washu: it was if they were all waiting together to make the Titans wait. They must have concluded that the impatience of their youth would weigh them down and make them vulnerable. For the last two years that couldn't have been more right… but the Slade Syndicate wasn't making a single action to capitalize on that advantage.

In the circle of heroes, the world just wasn't making any sense.

"He's had her for two years… he's had us on the ropes for just as long… Why isn't Slade and his Syndicate moving?" Aqualad asked.

"Any action that they would make would be beneficial to us." Starfire posited.

"We know that the Syndicate is smart. They didn't go into this half-cocked." Cyborg replied.

"They made an action." Bumble Bee said. "They gave us back Sakura for a reason."

Starfire shook her head. "I am not so sure. Perhaps it was just as it seemed: Terra was delivering a message."

"No," Cyborg said. "It's more than that. These guys are better at being bad than we are at being good and they wanted us to know it. They know how we think and they used it. The Syndicate wanted to give us a run around. They probably knew we'd try a soil test if Terra delivered her… and every single test Celine's run has come back with nothing."

"But, they thought that Celine was destroyed with the tower." Beast Boy interjected.

"But they knew **I** wasn't… it was mostly a trap for me…"

"Celine's the variable they can't account for."

Cyborg's frown deepened. "But for the progress she's making, it doesn't seem to matter."

For the last two years Celine's tests had been inadequate at best. The beautiful genius had done everything in her power to understand what was going on, but it appeared for the first time in her life, she was in a situation with a problem and she was outmatched.

The trio of Titans were spread out in the medic room, where they had been almost everyday for at least half the day for the last two years. Robin's head was bowed and Speedy's eyes squeezed tight when the diagnostic reading spun from Celine's device. Her brown eyes scanned over it, while Robin's eyes scanned over her, waiting for her word. The red haired genius pulled her scouter from her eye. Speedy turned to see her shake her head in the negative. Both of her experiments had failed again.

It hadn't taken long before they realized that Sakura's sleep wasn't like Robin's. Her life force was strong. There was no comparison between her natural state and the unnatural state of suspended animation that she was in, but compared to how Robin had laid, it simply wasn't the same situation. Sakura's Holy beat through her like a river: in a slow beat, but steady. Celine assumed that her abilities had saved her life… that her pure energy had made her resilient to Terra… but it also made her resilient to Science.

Speedy's head dropped to the bar standing along Sakura's bed side. They could see the anguish creeping along his features; his masked eyes were just as expressive as the trembling of his mouth. His teeth were bared and he looked as if were an inch away from yelling. But he didn't yell, he'd tried it before but no amount of noise was going to wake his girlfriend up.

Robin could see the defeat slithering up Speedy's body. The archer was within a hair's breadth of self-destructing; his grip was always tight on something, his heartbeat was constantly uneven and the only reason he ever left Sakura's side was when the Green Lantern demanded it of him.

Robin looked at his friend, one of his best friends, the only man he trusted with his sister's heart and tried not to collapse himself. Uncertainty had always been a crippling feeling, no person thieved under it, it lacked the potential of hope: and with Speedy a constant victim to uncertainty, the potential for hope was lacking.

Robin stood and thought and came up empty handed. He was caught in worry constantly. Every day he saw his sister and all the he could think to relieve himself of anxiety was at least she wasn't in the hands of the Slade Syndicate. He had the calm of his own heartbeat, to let him hope that she was safe somehow, but Speedy had no such calm.

The agile archer rubbed a hand through his hair. His eyes fell from his hands to Sakura's hands then up to Celine. "Do you have any other tests?" Speedy asked.

"Not yet, but I'm collecting sources." Celine replied, trying to formulate new ideas in seconds.

"What about the soils tests?" Robin asked.

Celine shook her head in the negative. "All I can say is that it's not earth borne. The soil science world is limited to earth and from the little that we know we're dealing with… this soil could be from anywhere."

"Dead end then?"

"For now." Celine replied.

Speedy's finger drummed the guard rail as he pressed his forehead into the cool metal. For two years it had been dead ends. Every time Celine configured a new design, Sakura's state conquered it. All her biological readouts read healthy… _so why can't she wake up?_

Speedy knew it was a **can't**. If she had the power to, she would have been up and able to tell them what had happened, where to find Raven, and that she loved him. But she didn't have the power to. For two years and seven months he hadn't heard Sakura's voice; not sense her voice pierced the last seconds of his consciousness when she chased after the Syndicate and met this tragic fate. Speedy wasn't sure he cared why or how she had been put in that state, he didn't think his heart could take the details of what had happened, all he cared about was what it would take to get her up and back into his arms: where she used to be, where he wanted her, where she belonged.

People who thought they knew anything about Speedy were generally mistaken. Of all the Titans, he was truly the one who was known least well by the others. They saw him as proud, handsome, clever and skilled, but none of them knew he was fragile, desperate and in a constant state of worry. It was further back in his history than the last few years that forced Speedy to adopt such a well put together persona just so he could function. He had demons to overcompensate for, just like Sakura: and though their mutual knowledge of those demons was slight, she had been the only person besides his mentor to ever be let into the fact that there was a tragic side of his life. Even Aqualad didn't know what Speedy wished for and what he feared and Aqualad was Speedy's best friend.

_The best friend who has Blackfire to turn to when he's unsure… I turned to Sakura and she'd stay with me, in my arms and we'd go in our hearts someplace where our pasts didn't scar us… _

Speedy and Sakura had been the kind of kids that liked rain. On days where the weather was souring the moods of all the other lovers, Speedy and Sakura would take themselves outside and do whatever made them feel alright. Sometimes they just sat and let the rain hit them, other times they fought each other. Speedy could remember the last time they fought in the rain. They had locked their weapons, but with a turn of his wrists, Speedy threw them both away leaving the pair to wrestle for dominance with their bare hands. He could see the way the rain dripped into her face, highlighting every fragment that made her beautiful. He didn't know if he had let her win from his staring or if she was going to win that round because she was better, but she did win; she tripped his legs from under him and the pair toppled to the ground. They were covered with wet sand, they were laughing and their bodies made sand angels like kids would do.

_But we aren't kids. We weren't really kids when we met, but when we were together, we had that brilliance of childhood… our imaginations couldn't be tamed… we could forget all the shadows that damaged her body and damaged my mind. I had seen it once or twice, the permanent bruising on her back, but she had refused to tell me what it was. All she would say was that it was a permanent reminder, but she never told me what "itsumo tatsu" meant. It was something important to her, but something she needed to escape sometimes. I remember the way she trembled the first time my fingers touched the bruise and even though a tear was forming in her eyes as her face pressed into my shoulder, she was glad… together we could find that place where tragedy was distant and security couldn't escape._

Speedy's eyes clenched tighter. _I can't find that place without you Sakura. Please get up so we can go somewhere only we know._

He hadn't realized until his eyes started to strain that Robin and Celine were talking behind him. His ears picked up when he heard his name and the word helpless.

"You called me helpless." Speedy said.

Robin's brow tightened. "No, I didn't… I said the situation was--"

"If anyone in this room is helpless, it's you." Speedy interrupted, taking his masked eyes from the wound in his heart. The archer had always had mature features, but with the last two years of time and worry, that maturity was biting now. He had the face of a man and the angry voice to match it.

"Speedy, calm down." Robin said, for a moment Speedy swore Robin's eyes turned to Sakura, as if the Boy Wonder was afraid their loud voices would disturb Sakura: as if her state was just a regenerating nap and not a stand still of consciousness lasting nearly three years.

"Don't tell me to calm down! How can I keep calm when my leader is turning his back on my girlfriend?"

"You know I'd never give up my sister, Speedy. You're out of line." Robin pointed a righteous finger at the agile archer.

"I'm not out of line! I'm scared, useless and hopeless!"

"Speedy don't say that! When everything else in the world is crumbling down, we've got to hold onto hope. We're all scared right now Speedy, now's the time to hold hope the tightest."

"How can I do that Robin? I love Sakura, as much as you love Raven… You're scared because you can't find her… Sakura's right here and I can't do anything for her!"

"Speedy, I'll figure something out… I'll run more tests… I'll do something!" Celine stuttered out, her fluster at her failures wasn't lost on anyone.

Speedy clenched his fingers. "But what am I supposed to do?" Speedy dropped into his seat, his forehead pressed into the knuckles of his hands. The guard rail was cold against his palm; it matched how he felt inside.

"Speedy," Robin said his voice was calmer than he knew he was capable of. He was angry at Speedy for what he had said, for all the things he implied, but right now he couldn't be an angry little brother or anxious boyfriend, he needed to be the Titans' leader. "We're in a position that the Titans have never faced before, but the last thing we can afford to do is to break apart anymore. Right now, at the very least we can say that Sakura is safe and as much as I hate it, for now it's got to be good enough. Celine may find something or the Syndicate may make a move. Whatever happens, the one thing we can't do is forget hope, because if we do that there's no victory, there's no chance for happy endings, there's no point in anything happening at all… Do you understand?"

Speedy tapped his finger then nodded yes.

"My sister has endured terrible things before, Speedy, and she's come back from it stronger than you'll know. No one knows the future, but I do know what you're supposed to do."

"And what's that?"

"You're supposed to be the first thing my sister sees when she wakes up."

"Robin what I said before… about you being helpless---" Speedy began, his masked eyes never leaving the face of his heart.

"You meant it and for you it may appear to the truth. I won't hold it against you, because of what you mean to my sister. But you're wrong Speedy. The last thing I'll ever be is helpless, because I have unconditional hope…"

When Robin walked away, Speedy swore he heard the rest of what Robin was thinking: _I have unconditional hope… invest in it. _

Robin generally didn't like lying, but it was necessary to prove a point. He wasn't going to let another member of his team fall victim to the ruthlessness of time. Time was the enemy of hope, as days linger dreams become more transparent and colorless, they lacked all the things that made you believe in them.

Robin still dreamt, but grays were shifting in where vivid purples and blues had once been. Every night he went to bed with prayers for something. Robin clenched the marred green monkey between his hands and thought about how easy the past was. _We could just think about each other and send our thoughts across rooms. If we were touching I could feel the words formulating in her throat, to be lost in the air and trapped in my mind. _

ºThe Titans had decided to do the one thing everyone always thought they did, and played Truth or Dare. The group had listened to Beast Boy's suggestion only after turning down his first two ideas: spin the bottle and strip poker. The boys had actually been in favor of the last one, but the girls were having no part of it.

They sat in something of a perfect circle, the ring was imbalanced by how close Terra was sitting to Raven and how far Starfire seemed to be sitting from everyone else. The game had begun nearly an hour ago and the ridiculousness of it had lasted the whole time. The call for Social allowed everyone to break the oath of truth and make up the most ridiculous lie they could come up with. It had been called once or twice to save some of the Titans from reviewing their pasts. It was apparent that D'ucel wasn't picking up on the game very quickly, something Beast Boy was exploiting mercilessly. More than once the call for Social had been used to rescue Fox from the "most annoying green one."

As the game wound down, so did Raven. The long haired mystic dropped her weight onto Robin, her cheek pressed against his chin. The Titans' leader didn't need to look at her to know her eyes were closed, he could feel her smiling gently against his neck.

_Tired?_ Robin asked gently, his arm slipping beneath her cloak to stroke her arm.

_No, content._ The girl replied, pulling her own arm to circle Robin's lean waist.

_I'm glad. _Robin pressed his lips gently against her forehead.

_They're staring at us._

_How could you tell that? Your eyes are closed._

_They're always staring at us._ Raven replied; the voice was smooth in Robin's mind.

_Jealousy? _

_We do have something wonderful. _Raven sighed. A warm shudder ran up Robin's back, Raven's breath on his neck inspired the most wonderful sensations.

"Robin! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Robin wasn't willing to do anything that would move him from that spot.

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?" Terra asked.

Robin seemed to think for a few seconds, though Raven knew otherwise. Her fingers trailed up and down his side.

"Social." Robin said and the Titans, minus Raven groaned. Raven laughed gently, pulling herself closer to the Boy Wonder.

"I secretly like Tofu!" Cyborg threw out.

"My middle name is secretly Melvin." Speedy gave out.

"I secretly can't swim!" Aqualad added.

"I'm secretly Batman." Beast Boy gave up.

"I am possessing the secret of the love of operas of soap!" Foxfire tried.

"When I'm at my computers, I'm secretly playing Frogger." Celine added.

"I'm secretly not a blonde." Terra threw in.

"I possess the secret of being unable to perform the pushing ups." Star added.

"I secretly don't like training." Sakura kicked out.

"All the books in my library are secretly coloring books." Raven replied.

"I secretly think Beast Boy is cooler than me in every conceivable way." Blackfire gave.

"I'm not sure that one's a lie!" Beast Boy replied and the room giggled.

"We're waiting Boy Blunder." Cyborg said, turning everyone's attention back to the social caller.

Robin gave Raven a squeeze. "Secretly, in the middle of the night, for no particular reason, I slide down the hallway in socks and tightie-whities."⁴

Raven smirked. _I'm starting to think that one is the truth._

_I've got another ridiculous lie._

_What?_ Raven asked.

_There are a million different places I'd rather be than right here with you in my arms._

_I've got a lie too._

_What?_ Robin nuzzled her gently.

_I could feel this good with anyone._

_We shouldn't lie to each other. _Robin responded, tracing her cheek with the back of his fingers. _There's nowhere I'd rather be._

_You're the one for me._

Another cry for social couldn't draw Robin and Raven from each other. Raven fell asleep against Robin and he blocked out the rest of the world. He could almost feel her dreams tumbling through her mind. Like her, everything about that moment, was beautiful.º

_I would take a lie if it were just to hear your voice. _Robin laid back on the bed, his arm falling onto his forehead. _Raven… please, if there's any hope you're okay, show me…_

Robin's vision blurred, because despite what he told Speedy, there were limits to his hope. If Raven were okay, she wouldn't be able to send him a message: though the powers of her mind were immense, his own were relatively minimal, they could only communicate through short distances

_I'll find a way Raven, to close the distance between you and me… _

…

Beast Boy walked into the common room at two AM and found Celine hunched over her console, typing with one hand, the other hand propped up her forehead. The pretty genius looked exhausted; her fingers were hunting and pecking at the keys. From the sad look on her face, illuminated by the dull glow of her monitor, she was getting nowhere.

Beast Boy didn't understand half the things Celine had been doing for the last three years, and honestly, he didn't understand a lot of the things she had done before that. But he did know something, the stress of failure was finally hitting Celine: it was obvious from the girl's medals, achievements and education that her genius had never failed her before: nothing every took her longer than a few days to work out, but now something was taking her years and it hurt.

Celine turned to look over her shoulder when Beast Boy's steps stopped.

"Beast Boy, what are you doing up?" Celine asked. The red head turned in her chair and faced him. No one was surprised by Beast Boy's stunning physical change anymore, just like no one was stunned by Robin's or Starfire's. Beast Boy had taken a physical stature just below six feet. If he kept growing the way he was, he'd be taller than Celine by the end of the year. Like Robin, Beast Boy's face had become squarer and his hair wasn't short. The spiky locks had grown into razor cut tendrils that Cyborg had likened to Sonic the Hedgehog. He was filling out and becoming handsome and soon the term "boy" wouldn't fit him.

"I came to check on you."

"I'm fine." Celine replied.

"No you're not. You haven't been fine in a while."

"Its just stress Beast Boy… my tests aren't…" Celine worried her lip and wouldn't bring her brown eyes to meet his green ones. "It was a fool's hope to think it would be that easy."

Beast Boy put his hand on the older girl's shoulder. "But it's still hope."

Celine smiled gently, bringing her hand to rest over his. "You sound like Robin."

Beast Boy's huge eyes blinked twice. "Me? Sound like Robin? You must be tired… when did you last sleep?"

Celine turned back to her computer, letting her hand slip off of his and his hand slip of her shoulder. Her console was bright with data, the contrasting patterns beamed across her face. "Yesterday… but I need to do this… I can get by."

Beast Boy frowned. He moved to the back of Celine's computer and leaned over it. His folded arms laid out like a cradle for his chin. He's presence made her eyes wander up from her monitor to his face. "Just because we can doesn't mean we should. We can do a lot of things… like give up hope."

Celine had nothing to say. For the last few weeks she had been running on empty. Despite their best efforts, the Justice League and the Armed Guards Union were anxious to fully understand the breadth of the situation the Titans were facing. Seeing as the Titans didn't know, there wasn't much to tell them and much less that they were willing to tell. Celine had sent Bumble Bee back to the AGU-JL headquarters to ease their collective mind and for the moment it seemed to be satisfying them. But that meant that Bumble Bee was gone and that meant Celine was spending more and more time in the company of her computers.

Celine liked to think that she could turn to any of the Titans for anything she needed. But in the end, she knew that it was the other way around. She was the go-to-girl; she was the one with the science to make it happen: whether it was romance, technological advances in weaponry, design mechanics for the battle simulators or just dinner, Celine was the mother hen-watchful eye of the Titans. She was supposed to protect them, defend them, help them… and she was letting them down.

Celine was startled when Beast Boy pulled the scouter from over her eye. The brown eyed genius blinked twice, realizing she had been lost in thought. BB's eyes were soft with worry.

"Maybe you should just sleep all day tomorrow. It will refresh you and you can come at it with fresh eyes." Beast Boy suggested.

Celine rubbed her neck and decided to change the subject. "How's your mother?"

Beast Boy wasn't going to be baited. "She's worried about you."

Celine frowned. "Me?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Where do you think I get it from?"

Celine shut down her computer and allowed Beast Boy a simple smile before the lights flickered off. He walked her to her bedroom. After weeks of arguing he had convinced her that she should sleep in her bed, in her room just like she had before. He said something along the effects that the return to normalcy was what the Titans were after, the least she could do was that.

And in her normal way Celine went to bed and woke up three hours later then went back to work.

End of Part Two

¹ Technically Cardiac is spelled Kardiac, but I don't like it that way, so I'm going to keep spelling it Cardiac.

² Somehow I see the Titans giving that sort of speech to little kids.

³ Ellie Parker is the little girl Raven rescued from Chapter Three.

⁴ Remembersees Part One: the interrupted date. That was one of Raven's guesses.


	42. FarCry Part Three

FarCry

Part Three

Three years had passed since the day Slade's Syndicate had made their move and two things hadn't changed: Raven was still missing and Sakura was still asleep.

There was an atmosphere of life about the tower. Though constantly, in the back of their minds, the Titans ached for their friends, they were able to repair and focus: protecting both Jump and Steel City while actively maintaining their friendship and also progressing as far as they could with stopping the end of the world. The sky still turned blue and red in the morning and the stars shined when there was night: tomorrow constantly came and became today. Even in that rhythm, with the washing over of fear at a few hours interval, it couldn't wash clean yesterday… only hope could.

Things changed… and some things didn't. Faces grew more mature, hair longer and naivety was washed away as the days past. Except Celine, all Titans referred to Beast Boy as BB, because boy wasn't really correct. He still had a few weeks until he legally became a man, but the change in his body made such a demarcation fruitless. They called him BB (though Changeling had been thrown around a few times, but never stuck) and would continue to until he could come up with a better name. BB didn't seem inspired to do so, so BB was his personal handle.

Robin hadn't been referred to as the Boy Wonder since long before his eighteenth birthday passed, not that anyone knew when that was, but nonetheless, they all found it inappropriate to refer to the Titans' leader that way, unless it was joking or as some artifact of endearment. Despite some obvious metamorphosis candidates, Robin hadn't changed his persona and he wouldn't: not until they found Raven, so she'd never have to wonder if he waited for her, so she'd never doubt that he would've waited forever.

The Titans' leader had taken to pulling his hair back into a pony tail. His dark tresses were sloping down his back, nearly at the level of his pecks. The physical changes were something he could do nothing about: the longer hair, the fuller muscles, the deeper voice. Time was making him a man and his every action was meeting that progression half way.

Robin was going over his latest case studies with Celine when the Titans' communicator screen blinked to life.

"Bumble Bee to Titans' Tower." Bee's voice was unhindered by static, the screen was perfectly clear.

"You got us Bee. Go." Cyborg said.

There were enough Titans in the common room to feel the full effect of Bumble Bee's message. Before any of the others understood what it meant, Robin and Celine were prepared for the worst.

"I'm at the AGU-JL headquarters and it seems I've done all I can do. There's no more stalling."

"Understood. When will you be reporting back?" Robin asked.

"In three hours. We're leaving shortly." Bumble Bee replied.

"Alright. Thanks Bee."

"Right. Bumble Bee out."

Celine frowned and closed the transmission. The Titans circled around Robin and Celine, various stages of a frown ran across their faces.

"I do not understand what has transpired." Starfire admitted.

"That was a message from the AGU, the base of my operations. They caught wind last year of some of the details we've been trying to protect and they weren't happy." Celine replied.

"So what does that mean?" Aqualad asked.

"Without anymore information I was unable to appease the collective mind at the AGU-JL headquarters." Celine replied.

"Do they want you to return?" Cyborg asked.

"No, they're coming to us." Robin replied for Celine.

"Who's they?" BB asked.

"The leaders of the AGU and the Justice League connection." Robin replied.

"You're going to have to give us names; we don't know who those are." Cyborg replied.

"The Justice League connection is the financial backer and delegate for the operation state of the Justice League… you'd know him best as Bruce Wayne."

"Bruce Wayne? **The** Bruce Wayne? As in the Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises?" Aqualad asked.

"The very one… he's good friends with the leader of the Justice League." Robin added.

"Bruce Wayne and Batman¹ are friends? Wow, I didn't think the guy could get any cooler." BB added.

Blackfire turned to Celine realizing that there was another name on the list. "Celine, who is the other leader whom is coming?"

Celine sighed. "The other leader… is the man who established the Armed Guards Union and directs its operations from the AGU headquarters… he's the one who sent me here. He's responsible for most of the distribution of all AGU members like Robin and myself and also for a good number of junior Justice Leaguers like Bumble Bee."

"General Surge Fletcher." Robin provided, realizing that Celine wasn't going to.

"Fletcher? But that's Celine's last name." Beast Boy frowned.

"Yes. He's my father."²

"Then that is good news! Your father will be most sympathetic in our plight." Starfire said.

"Negative." Celine replied. "If he has his way, this could be the end of the Titans."

…

Nervous was an understatement. Fear was currently torrenting through Titans' Tower and nothing Robin could say or do would alleviate it. He was waiting side by side with Celine. She had changed into her Armed Guard's uniform: the purple dress and jacket, despite their length, did appear to provide her with more authority than her casual skirt and top ever had. As far as the Titans were concerned, Celine wasn't lacking for authority. Apparently before the AGU-JL leaders Celine had something to prove.

The witching hour arose and two Titans nearly fell over themselves with worry. Despite their maturity in physical appearance, Starfire and BB had the anxiety control of six year olds.

The helicopter landed and Bumble Bee led them in. The Titans stood in two lines: Celine, Robin and Cyborg were the first line and all the Titans fell in behind them in two parts: to Celine's back left were BB and Starfire; D'ucel, Aqualad and Blackfire were behind Cyborg's right shoulder.

Robin could see Celine's fingers flexing and relaxing behind her back. Her face didn't show it, but she was probably as nervous as BB, but the difference between them was Celine had a legitimate reason: BB feared the unknown; Celine feared the devil at home.

The conversation the team had early hadn't given any of them any reason to feel any less unease. In fact, Celine's explanations made them all a little sick to their stomachs about the entire upcoming ordeal.

º"He's going to want to meet with us, all of us. General Fletcher doesn't like to go by paper work when it comes to assessing people totally, but he does like to draw from reports to determine how he assesses them." Celine told the small group. Robin had decided to check on his sister while Celine gave the Titans a brief rundown on what they should expect. Robin didn't feel the need to be present for the meeting: he had met General Fletcher personally a time or two and from his personal experience, nothing could prepare the team for the mental shaking they were in for. Robin had to steady his heart for the emotional shaking Bruce Wayne was walking into.

The Titans surrounded their resident genius, a little put off by her AGU uniform. The soft cool of Celine's kind character didn't show through at all in her purple dress and boots, but cool and kind wasn't what she was going for. The red head frowned, pulling her hair into a tight pony tail.

BB was the first to break the ring of silence. "So does he know everything about us?"

Celine seemed to think about her answer. It bothered the Titans, she was obviously guarding something. Considering that none of them knew much about Celine and the vastness of her knowledge pool, it was probably something either really important or really painful. They had seen the way Celine had lost much of her girlishness over the last three years, and considering that her features were rather mature for the seventeen she walked in as, there wasn't much left to lose. That maturity had come with stressful times. Over the next few days, she wouldn't be getting any younger.

"He only knows what I know… or at least what I've disclosed." Celine finally said.

The others didn't like that answer. Aqualad drummed his knee with his fingers. "So he knows everything?"

Celine shook her head. "No, my reports as of late have been… incomplete and my previous knowledge is limited to the information I have access to… there's a lot of information in the Titans' data base that I don't have the authorization to access. Things like Robin and Speedy's identity, a lot of the Slade reports… things that only Robin can access… by AGU protocol Robin can't withhold that information for the AGU, but he can decide who he gives the information to."

Aqualad rubbed his jaw. "So with your reports, you were protecting us?"

"That was my intent, but I don't know if I've done more harm than good."

Cyborg rolled his head to the right, taking in Celine's downcast profile. "So can he really shut the Titans down?"

Celine's sigh was labored, short red hairs dropped into her face. "I don't really know… there are complications to the issue that need to be resolved."

"Explain." The command was short; Cyborg didn't see the need for much more.

"I'm not sure if I can."

"Please try." Starfire said. Her hands knotted around themselves in worry.

"General Fletcher doesn't respect the creativity of children. He recognizes strategic genius and that is about it. He's a calculated man, he thinks that battles led by the heart are often history's greatest tragedies… he only believes in the mind of war… before I interfered, your team was one of passion, no real strategy to speak of."

"But we have you and things are different. We still fight with our hearts but we've got brains too. What does he have against the Titans now?" BB asked.

Celine frowned. "Nothing… it's what he has against me."

"I do not understand." Blackfire stated simply.

"Is it a daughter following in Daddy's footsteps deal where he's harder on you than others?"

Celine shook her head. "General Surge Fletcher is nothing if he is not professional. He doesn't see me as a daughter. I didn't know he was my father until I'd been at the AGU for nine months and from what I understand, he didn't either… General Fletcher's issues with me are slightly more complicated." And that was all Celine had to say for the moment.

None of the Titans knew how to respond to such information. There was more to Celine's story and they all knew it, but none of them knew if they really wanted to hear the rest.º

When the doors opened, the light that spill into Titans' tower wasn't blinding, but it knocked enough shadows to highlight their approach. Bumble Bee looked a little out of place escorting them, the two men moved forward without reference to her guide.

They walked in possessing an air nothing short of godliness. One radiated power, integrity and ability, the other was full of intelligence, intensity and authority. They were both men of prestige, legends within their own circles and together they were like kings of the Earth.

Bruce Wayne was as handsome as the legends suggested. His hair and suit were immaculate and his confidence was a beast that could not be stopped. Robin watched his mentor move forward and it marveled him to this day that no one had ever put together that Bruce Wayne and Batman were the same man: that walk, that intelligence, that sense of justice, it could blind mankind whether or not Bruce wore the mask.

Bruce Wayne was both a man he looked forward to seeing and regretted… he wished that a reunion with his mentor would have been under better circumstances.

Beside him, Celine was wishing for no reunion whatsoever.

Walking in military pace was a man from which Celine had obviously inherited her hair color, her height and confidence, except that that moment, it was hard to notice the latter. General Surge Fletcher's stride was long and controlled; his dark uniform was crisp and stiff against his moment. Even from the distance they could all appreciate his towering height. While Bruce Wayne was no short man at six foot three inches tall, General Fletcher easily surpassed him at six foot eight inches.

As Bumble Bee escorted Bruce Wayne and General Fletcher closer, Robin and Celine stepped forward, encouraging the others to meet the AGU-JL leaders half way. Bumble Bee stepped to the side and let Bruce Wayne look down at Robin and General Fletcher looked right through Celine. For a second the silence didn't bother any of them because their eyes were doing enough work for all their senses.

A common thought ran through the back row of the Titans. _Celine must look like her mom._ The difference between Surge and Celine were more startling than the similarities: where Celine's eyes were soft and brown, Surge's were fierce and black as the night itself. Celine's face held femininity, Surge's square jaw was a testament to masculinity. Celine's smile was full and warming, Surge's lips were in a thin straight line. Displeasure was obvious, regard was not.

The silence ended when Bumble Bee made the introductions.

"Mr. Wayne, General Fletcher, welcome to Titans' Tower." Robin said.

"Thank you, Robin." Bruce Wayne replied in a manner befitting a gentleman of his legend.

Surge moved his eyes over the Titans' leader before addressing Bruce. "Perhaps we should hold the pleasantries, Mr. Wayne, until we've assessed their operations."

Celine swallowed hard, her fingers flexing quickly and releasing. "Sir, if you would like I can begin briefing you on our current situation."

Surge didn't even look at her. "Colonel Keelin, if your briefings are as insufficient as your latest reports, I am doubtful of their usefulness."

Celine took no rebuke; she didn't seem to react at all. Starfire cringed. BB was very close to giving the General a piece of his mind. Blackfire did.

"You must not be so ill-manner to your daughter! It is mean."

Surge looked Blackfire up and down. A lesser person would have cowered under such a gaze. Blackfire stared him straight in the eye.

"You are Komand'r or Blackfire… you were previously a criminal."

Aqualad raised his eyebrow. "Those things are in the past."

"A villain who wants to do good, isn't that how you got yourselves in this situation in the first place?" Surge asked.

Aqualad was barely fast enough to grab Blackfire before she lunged at General Fletcher. As much as he wanted to throttle the officer as well, it wouldn't do well for the future of their team. Celine stepped in front of the pair and the sight of her seemed to calm Blackfire down if only for a second. Her eyes maintained their furious glow but she stopped struggling against Aqualad's hold.

Bruce's voice cut the tension, his apparent professionalism was on display. "General Fletcher there is a volume of issues which we must address as efficiently and thoroughly as possible. I'm sure Agent Omicron can direct your investigations while I perform my observations."

Surge nodded. Celine closed her eyes in relief. Crisis averted.

BB darted his eyes between the two men. "Investigations?"

"I have generated a database on the Teen Titans," Beast Boy swore he could hear the disregard for the title in General Fletcher's voice. He grated his teeth but said nothing. "and will be conducting interviews with each of you before moving on to my assessment of the Titans' infrastructure."

"I can tell you everything you need to know about the Tower's system." Cyborg offered.

"I will determine that, Victor."

Cyborg balked. "With all due respect sir, my name is Cyborg."

Surge knew better. "Victor K. Stone of Brock County, just as Colonel Keelin is. I understand there is some history there between you as well."

Cyborg knew a bait when he heard one, but he was going to take it anyway. "What of it?"

"That kind of interpersonal relationship between team members has been shown to decrease productivity across a spectrum of responsibilities in agents. Am I correct in my assessment, Colonel Keelin, that the decline of your performance is directly related to--"

Beast Boy's eyes flared. "You can't talk to her like that!"

_Next crisis…_ Celine waved her hand in a dismissive gesture to Beast Boy's anger. The changeling frowned but didn't drop his hands.

"Beast Boy, it's okay." Celine assured him.

"No it's not! Just because he's some high ranking officer in an organization doesn't mean he can talk down to you like that!"

Beast Boy and General Fletcher didn't see eye to eye. Literally and that was partially due to Surge being a good eight inches taller than BB. The others, who had known him personally, were impressed with BB's new height… General Fletcher was not. General Fletcher wore self-importance as plainly as his dark AGU uniform. Both Robin and Celine knew that the best way to handle the General's pecking was to give him nothing to work with. Celine mentally berated herself for not warning them. She secretly placed a small touch on Beast Boy's back, taking his attention away from General Fletcher for Celine to sneak in.

Celine stepped forward, one hand gesturing towards the hallway. "General Fletcher if you wish to proceed--"

"I will begin with Garth, Orin."

The Titans looked around for someone by that name. Aqualad hunched his shoulders. _Upworlders always butcher the beauty of my Atlantian name._

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Garth? Your name is Garth?"

"Ugh. My name is _Orin_ _Garth_. It's difficult to say if you're not from Atlantis. It's just easier on everyone if you call me Aqualad."

"Aqua...lad? You're twenty three years old, aren't you a bit old to be a lad?"

Aqualad narrowed his eyes in a very un-Aqualad fashion. "I'm going to change it. I'm just waiting for Aquaman to die."

Robin stepped forward, realizing his team's capacity for suppressing hostility was being tried. He didn't like General Fletcher's tone and he didn't like the underlying criticism the officer was dealing to his team. "General Fletcher, I understand your necessity to maintain a professional disposition, but I cannot allow you to treat my team in such a way."

Surge seemed hesitant to reply, they realized it was probably due to the fact that Surge didn't have Robin's identity to throw at him. Or that unlike the rest of the Titans, Robin didn't fear for a moment that anything that General Fletcher thought would reflect on the future of the Titans.

Surge didn't respond to Robin. The Titans' leader kept his eye trained on him when Surge began to speak again. "I will need an isolated interviewing room."

Celine nodded. "Yes, sir, you can use my secondary workstation. I believe you'll find it commendable. This way."

"Very well Colonel Keelin. You will act as commodore for these interviews."

Celine nodded. "Understood, sir. Orin Garth, please follow me as well."

Aqualad frowned but followed at a good distance behind Celine and Surge.

Starfire turned red at the string of obscenities Blackfire was dispensing in their native tongue. With the exception of Cyborg, none of the others knew what those words were, but from the fire sprouting from her head, they could not be good.

Bruce Wayne raised an eyebrow. "What did she say?"

Starfire laughed nervously. "My sister finds General Fletcher thoroughly unpleasant."

BB rubbed the back of his head. "Man, how did a nice girl like Celine get **him** for a dad?"

The Titans shared a collective frown, except for Blackfire whose rage was refusing to settle. They had never been in a situation where Celine had to stand up for herself and seeing her bend so easily to the will of General Fletcher was a bit disheartening. Whether it was because he was a superior officer or her father, it was hard to determine what about him made Celine act… so unlike herself. They could feel somehow that Celine's change of character didn't bode well for them.

Starfire's face clearly showed that she had a question. "Why does he call her Keelin? Please, is that some sort of endearment?"

Cyborg didn't answer. Beast Boy did. "It's complicated, Star."

Bruce nodded in agreement, though it wasn't apparent if he was addressing the same circumstances. "Many things are complicated. It's our work to reduce as much anxiety about tomorrow as possible."

Robin turned to his team. "I'm going to direct Bruce's observation of the tower, just sit tight for a while and wait for Agent Omicron to call on you."

"Should we not behave in a more… hospitable manner to General Fletcher? I fear our actions as of yet have been a discredit on our desire to remain in our home." Star posited.

"Please do not concern yourselves with putting on a show for General Fletcher. If it is his wish to recall Agent Omicron he can, but he hasn't the total authority necessary to close the tower… I have it on good authority that the Justice League leader is on your side." Bruce replied.

Robin smiled knowingly at his mentor. "Batman is a good man."

Bruce nodded. "Sometimes I'm inclined to agree."

End of Part Three

¹Yeah, pretty sure Batman is not the leader of the Justice League, but as the author, I'm exercising my creative will once again on the Titans' Universe.

²If you'll remember, Bruce Wayne is Sakura's father, so both my OC girls' dads are appearing in this chapter.

So yeah, General Fletcher is definitely a jerk. He's probably going to be the **meanest** person in the story, but his importance is just like most of the OCs: he's going to develop the Titans' characters.


	43. FarCry Part Four

FarCry

Part Four

Robin found that he hadn't steeled himself as thoroughly for the reunion of Sakura and Bruce as he had thought.

He didn't have to think or look at Bruce's face to know that the reason why he was at Titans' had nothing to do with his position in the Justice League Connection. It was likely that he didn't care at that time what became of the Teen Titans. He was concerned for one person and one person only…

And she was lying in a coma like sleep, the stillness of her body unable to give her father any sense of relief.

Bruce was perfectly still, even as his fingers reached out at touched Sakura's arm. She was warm; she was breathing, alive… but not living. Bruce Wayne had always been a proud, but smart man. It was something that Robin had come to admire in his mentor, he was solid, steady but not unattached. He could handle emotional crippling, the call of Selina Kyle and the master villainy of both the Joker and the Scarecrow; he could take the physical torment of Harvey Dent and Harley Quinn and even steel himself against the loneliness that his lives has lead him to live.

But seeing Sakura hurt again, it seemed to be the proverbial straw.

Robin watched the way Bruce's fingers clinched the medical railing, he was sure that Bruce's grip had twisted the metal. Robin swallowed hard: he had had years to swallow the burn and regret of not being there for Sakura, but this was new to his mentor. Robin didn't regret not telling Bruce about what had become of Sakura, but there was regret in him. It was exactly the same pain that was coursing through Bruce at the moment: twice in Sakura's life, they had failed to protect her from the machinations of evil men.

"Those years ago, when I met you both for the first time, I had seen it immediately." Bruce began. "Even though she was in a wheel chair, I could see that you both had Asuka's movement. I had wondered for years if she would grow up to be like your mother… or if she'd look like me. The day she was born, she had my eyes and I was glad that there was some part of me that she would carry with her forever."

Bruce's fingers ghosted over Sakura's cheek. "At the same time, when Feng Law told me what had become of Asuka, I wished that she had Asuka's eyes and face so I could remember her."

Robin didn't think about his action. It was something he was calm about doing in front of Bruce. Bruce had seen him through much of the middle ground of his life so far. There was no hiding from Bruce Wayne. Robin slipped off his mask and let Bruce see Asuka's eyes.

…

Elaina Keelin and Surge Fletcher were not meant to be together. That's what the class system said and that's what Surge believed. He had met the younger girl by accident and let her fall in love with him before he left Brock County for good. But he made a mistake… he made Celine. Surge hadn't known about Celine her entire life, her entire life until she joined the Armed Guards Union. Rumors had begun to spread about the new cadet immediately and when he heard her name was Ensign Keelin, he had tried not to think about the possibility that she was in some relation to Elaina. He didn't want to consider it, but the word began to spread throughout the AGU that Ensign Keelin would be a general some day and some day soon if she continued to be such an excellent solider. Surge couldn't avoid her and when he met her, he realized his mistake.

It hadn't taken long before Ensign Keelin was promoted and given access to a wealth of information, including the blood tests of her fellow officers. By then he had already known, he had looked into it himself and prepared for her to come. He hadn't expected kindness or curiosity; he had expected something uncivil like hostility or hatred, but Lieutenant Keelin gave him none of what he expected. She only wanted two things: she wanted his last name and she wanted something to know him by, something that he could give her to show that somehow, even in the tiniest degree that he felt regret.

Surge gave her an AGU trained pup that Agent Omicron named Loberos and allowed her to take anything else she wanted.

They remained professional on accounts that professionalism was Surge's handle and that Celine had too much potential to squander on hurt feelings. Surge read all of her accommodations, witnessed her degree acclimation and was the standing officer for her technical unit division for all but one of her missions: Operation Red Hawk Sting.

Though he had never been a fan of the talents of Bumble Bee, Surge had been sickenedly disappointed with the minimal amount of information Agent Omicron was able to collect. He had given her an objective, one of the most important assignments in the main objectives of the Armed Guards Union and she had failed. He had trusted her abilities for one moment without his watch and she set the investigations back for months.

It was by the saving grace of bountiful opportunity that the Teen Titans had a role in assimilating some of the data Bumble Bee had gathered and they need personalized Armed Guard attention. Surge had seen to it personally that Colonel Keelin was assigned to work with the Titans, gathering data on Brother Blood and letting some of the taint on the AGU's record wash clean with years of not feeling Colonel Keelin's persistent presence. It was a fool's hope to think that Colonel Keelin would make any progress without his watch.

Surge's fingers rushed over the keys of his personal console. "I should have access to the entire resources of Titans' Tower."

Celine's fingers were knotted behind her back. "Sir, I can only authorize you to a certain level in the Titans' database."

"Many of these records regard the activities of the Titan's leader."

"Robin is the only Titan with the authority to access them, yes." Celine replied.

"That is unacceptable."

"It is within regulations sir. He has disclosed all information to the Justice League connection." Celine replied.

Celine became increasingly aware that she was trying General Fletcher's patience. "He is not an agent for the Justice League. He is an Armed Guardsmen, though from our records not a very good one."

She held back the obvious attack rising in her throat. "Sir, Robin is a phenomenal leader."

"The evidence that his team cannot function to its full potential without his guide is not evidence to his leadership ability, it is a detriment to it."

…

"I can't let you do that Bruce." Robin said firmly. He didn't like the idea, not a single bit. As much as he wanted his sister to heal, he could not go along with Bruce's plan.

"You've seen before how the Baek Temple restores life. The fact that we've seen her walk again is a testament to its ability."

"This is different. Sakura's a part of my team Bruce: she's not just my sister; she's a sister to all the Titans… I can't let you take her away and she's in good hands… I know that the temple sounds like a good solution… but I'm not sure it will help. It's not her body this time… it's her mind… We're going to need something more scientific to rescue her and Celine's one of the best scientific minds in the world. And she cares about Sakura… so does everyone else… let her stay. We will figure something out."

At the moment Robin didn't know if Bruce was considering his plea or not. The way his eyes looked down on his daughter's smooth and still face made it hard to determine if Bruce was capable of feeling anything at all except regret.

"Do you know who did this?" He asked finally and for a moment Robin believed that that was his concede.

"The same people who want to end the world. The same people who would use the girl I love to do it."

Bruce took his eyes off of his daughter and led them back to the boy who had been like a son to him for years. Robin had changed, more than he had expected him to. Bruce had never met Robin's father; he couldn't assess what part of Robin's increasing maturity was due to his father's influence, the situation's influence or to Bruce's influence on his character. It hardly seemed to matter which distinct parts made Robin a man: the fact was Robin was a man, facing the challenges of manhood in a manner that Bruce was all too familiar with: uncertainty, loss, responsibility to move forward, obligation and regret to look back.

In Robin's eyes he knew some memory was playing: of Raven, of Sakura, of the Titans how they used to be. His back was straight, his breathing was quiet. Bruce wasn't going to interrupt the replay of a moment very dear to Robin.

ºThe sky was clearer than he had ever remembered it in Jump City. The only trace of shadows came from the trees that were scattered along the landscape and the people who ran up and through the grassy hillside in a well deserved day of play.

The Titans had decided to take a day off from super herory (though the call for help was never ignored, this day they just weren't waiting for it). They had decided that a picnic in the park was the best way to enjoy their time together.

From where Robin sat, his masked eyes could see almost all of them. Cyborg and Beast Boy were impatient as Celine unpacked the picnic basket; it seemed that if the beautiful genius didn't move faster, Cyborg was going to toss her aside and let the two of them pig out on the feast she had prepared. Star and Blackfire were learning the complexity of soccer. Speedy and Sakura were playing some hide and seek game which mostly consisted of Speedy chasing Sakura through the woods. It could have been a lovers' day if they all sat still and were quiet together, but the Titans were rambunctious and diverse and each of them could decide how they wanted to spend the wonderful afternoon. Robin sat in the sun with Raven's heat on his back. The pale mystic sat behind Robin. Her arms wrapped around his waist, the left side of her forehead pressed against his back. Her breathing had always been too steady to know if she was sleeping or just content, but at the moment he felt that he knew it was the latter.

Aqualad's cry of "look out" turned Robin's head, but he didn't have time react. A stray ball nearly interrupted Raven's embrace, but her barrier reacted without her opening her eyes. The speed of the ricochet took Aqualad's breath away and his footing. The return of the ball knocked the marine marvel to the ground. Blackfire gave a shout and rushed to his side.

Robin breathed deeply, his shoulders rising and falling before he turned around and pulled Raven into his lap, reversing their positions. From where they sat together they stared up at a huge oak tree. Raven's fingers busied themselves bending grass into a bug basket. Sakura ran by them and Speedy followed seconds later, the speed of their motions created wind that pushed Raven's hair into her face. Robin reached around her, pulling the long tendrils behind her right ear then over her left shoulder, giving him a clear spot to drop his chin.

"What are you thinking about?" Robin asked.

"I'm not thinking about anything."

"Not even the future?"

"No, not at all." Raven replied. "I don't want to waste a second of everything that feels good this moment."

Robin kissed her cheek before standing up. She watched him move, standing in front of the oak tree as if he were memorizing it. Rather suddenly he pulled a bird-a-rang from his utility belt and began carving delicately into the wood. When he pulled back to admire his work, he noticed Raven noticing his work.

"R&R…" Raven turned her purple eyes to Robin. He seemed proud of himself. "You're such a dork." Raven said with a smile.

Robin raised an eyebrow before reaching an arm out and pulling her towards him. There was no reluctance to step into the hug. Robin pressed kisses onto her cheek and temple. Raven looked at the tattoo Robin had given the tree.

"Dork?" Robin said, "You've got to have a better pet name for me than that Rae."

Raven turned her head to look at him and Robin took the opportunity to kiss her mouth. Raven smiled, her eyes gaining a mischievous look. "Boy Blunder isn't good enough?"

"Everyone calls me that… I want you to think of something that only you can call me."

"I don't have to think about that at all." She put her arms around his shoulders and kissed his mouth gently. "I'm the only one who can call you 'mine'."

"Robin and Raven sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Cyborg and Beast Boy mocked from a distance.

Raven turned in Robin's embrace. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Like away?"

They didn't have time to react, in shock or otherwise when their bodies were wrapped in dark energy and hurled halfway across the park. Starfire laughed when she discovered Cyborg stuck in a tree and Beast Boy caught in a bush. The team came together over lunch and Robin spent the rest of the afternoon lying under the sun with Raven in his arms.º

That day had been perfect, nearly four years ago. It was when none of them knew enough to be afraid of tomorrow, it was when the team was happy, functioning, whole. It was when Raven was in his arms: safe from Slade, Trigon, Washu and Terra. It had been secure… it had been beautiful.

It had been years since he had seen anything beautiful at all.

Bruce found that he couldn't hold silent much longer. Though only a few seconds had passed, Bruce could tell his former charge had traveled back years in his mind. There was no doubt that Robin was thinking about Raven. The billionaire Justice Leaguer looked down at his daughter again before looking up to Robin. There was someone, someone besides Raven, missing from that moment. There was someone who was missing Sakura the way Robin missed Raven.

"Sakura told me a lot about what had been happening… about you and Raven… and Speedy… where is he?"

Robin put his mask on, slipping the fabric gently over his eyes again. "The only reason he ever leaves here is when the Green Lantern pays him a call."

…

He was missing the mark: slightly to the left or slightly to the right, but always precise. The bolts piled and exploded into brilliant fragments of gold that were lost on him. He hadn't lost his talent: just his focus.

The bolts sung through the air in a tragic song. The Green Lantern watched his protégé go through his training on automatic pilot, the way he had for the last three years. John Stewart, the current incarnation of the Green Lantern on this side of the universe, had known Roy Harper longer than any other person in the world: if the boy hadn't such a strong memory of his father, that was a role that John¹ was willing to play to him.

The Green Lantern's dark eyes watched Speedy string a bolt and let it go, not taking aim, not concentrating, not feeling the change of the air around him, not recognizing his approach and letting himself be tackled from the side and thrown to the ground. Speedy slammed fiercely into the concrete floor of the Steel City building rooftop. The momentum made his body roll and when friction pulled its weight, Speedy stopped rolling and pulled himself to his knees.

The Green Lantern stared down at his pupil and watched the sneer take over Speedy's face. The younger hero stood and attacked, using his bow like a club. The Lantern blocked the first blow before catching the second attempt, his superior strength keeping Speedy from succeeding in his strike. Speedy was so concentrated on over coming his mentor's strength that the Green Lantern's extending boot met no hesitation in reaching its destination: Speedy's chest.

The red haired fighter skid along one knee, a knight's kneel trained as he trained an arrow pitched with dead accuracy at the Green Lantern's eye. The Ring stopped the attack short and when Speedy let his arrows fly like the bullets from a machine gun, the Ring pulverized every single one of them. Speedy grew tired and frustrated and had only one arrow left. He dropped his weapon to his side and let the Lantern claim the victory.

"Spedaris." The Green Lantern said, stepping closer to the defeated archer.

"Don't call me that." Speedy said, not looking to his mentor.

The Lantern laughed. "You wanted me to when you were younger."

"That was when I was a stupid child." Speedy replied.

"And you aren't now?"

Speedy was almost surprised by his actions, though from the result it was apparent that Green Lantern wasn't. He gripped his last arrow across bow, trained with dead accuracy to the older man's chest. As his eyes and hands steadied, Speedy saw that the Lantern had pointed his Ring, ready to incinerate the attack.

"Don't talk to me like you have any idea of what I'm going through." Speedy muttered, raising himself from his knees, bolt still locked and ready to charge.

"I don't have to experience a lot of things to realize personal trauma and tragedy when I see it… but that doesn't mean my lack of experience with those things means that I can't interfere with your self-defeating spiral."

The Green Lantern had warned him, when Speedy had become engaged with a relationship with Sakura, to exercise some sense of caution. But Speedy had done nearly the exact opposite. Once he knew she was his, he dove right in.

"All your warnings for my safety doesn't change the fact that she's my thin white line."²

"Go home Speedy."

"And do what?"

"I don't know. Who am I to tell you to do anything?"

Speedy frowned. "You're the guy whose been telling me what to do for years."

"I'm also the one who told you to never question what I tell you to do. Why spoil a perfect record?"

"I didn't train at all… why did you bring me here?"

"I heard it from a friend that someone needed alone time with someone at the tower… I'm sure he's had enough by now and I'm sure he'd like to meet you."

"Who's he?" Speedy asked.

"Someone **else** who is experiencing the tragedy that you are."

"Someone related to Sakura?"

"Intimately related... Go home Speedy."

And he did.

…

General Fletcher had dismissed Celine while he conducted his interview with Aqualad. Celine exited the room, waited for the door close behind her before dropping to the floor. From her seated position she could slowly drum the back of her head against the wall and for a few seconds she did. She stopped when Starfire and Beast Boy approached. The tall Tameranian and the even taller shape shifter couldn't avoid noticing that Celine's normally cheery disposition was gone. They had all seen Celine fretting over her failures before, over the last three years they had found numerous notes and condemned ideas scribbled on sheets of paper littering any room the redheaded genius occupied for more than a few seconds.

"Celine," Starfire said, "Something is troubling you?"

"Don't worry about me Star. I'm fine."

"Why do you keep saying that, when it's obviously not true?" Beast Boy asked.

Celine didn't bother to look up at him to deny his claim. She didn't bother to do anything at all.

"Please, BB, do not use such a harsh tone." Starfire said gently.

"Don't worry about it, either of you. This is something you shouldn't have to try and understand."

"I understand enough Celine! You're not sticking up for yourself! Just because he's your father doesn't mean you can let him walk all over you like that!"

Celine again choose not to answer.

Beast Boy was angry, Starfire was worried and there was a good chance that Celine felt something completely out of their range of understanding. She felt bad: for being a bad officer, for being a bad guard to the Titans and for being just a bad friend for worrying the others the way she had. She was becoming everything General Fletcher had predicted those years ago when she had first delivered the details of Operation Red Hawk Sting to her commanding officer and despite his opposition, had still went along with it.

Celine couldn't say that she had ached for a father figure in her childhood: she was much too busy growing up years before her time to notice things that she didn't have. When she realized that she had a father, that her last name wasn't Keelin and there was a living, breathing person in the universe who had some connection to her, all she wanted was for him to notice that she was a living, breathing person too. General Fletcher wasn't a man to be satisfied with having a pretty daughter or a talented one: anyone he was genetically responsible for had to the best: the smartest, the prettiest, the most talented and Celine knew that, before he even said a word to her. He had set the bar, but despite her best efforts as the best female scientific mind in the world, whenever she came to that bar she either ran into it or limbo-ed under it.

"He's not a good judge of character, if he can't see all you're worth Celine." Beast Boy had been talking for some time Celine realized, but she only caught the tail end.

"He's still my father… and he's the only family I have."

"That is not true!" Starfire said.

"Celine, you know that isn't true. The Titans are a family, you know that."

"Family doesn't let each other down the way I have… I wasn't supposed to allow this to happen… any of this."

"Celine, this is not your fault." Starfire said.

"Celine… remember all those things you told me… when all this began…"Celine nodded but looked away. BB knelt in front of her, reaching out and turning her face back to him. "Well I'm saying them back to you… and just because it's my voice, doesn't mean all those things didn't come from you. You're a good officer, a wonderful daughter and a great friend. Don't worry so much anymore about protecting us… protect yourself and we'll all get stronger. We need you Celine…"

"I know. That's why I need to get better!"

"You don't need to do anything Celine! Just listen to me okay?"

Celine looked ready to ignore him, but Starfire touched her arm and made her listen. Celine's sad brown eyes were held by Beast Boy's huge green ones.

"You're one of the best people I have ever met. I don't care what your father thinks, how bad things get or what the rest of the world says, you're perfect just the way you are. You don't need to go out of your way and save everyone all the time: you may be a super hero… but super heroes have second lives, when they can let go… just for a little while Celine, let go."

"I can't."

"Celine, you've said it yourself… there's nothing you can't do. You're always looking out for us… let us look out for you!"

Celine didn't know what she was going to say, but her mouth had opened to reply, but it died on her lips when Aqualad exited the interviewing station and Celine was called in. The red haired genius pulled herself away from Beast Boy's embrace, away from Starfire's worried gaze and past Aqualad, who had a sneaking suspicion that he had just missed something important.

As good as it had felt to hear those things; Celine knew that Beast Boy shouldn't have said the things he had. But then again he couldn't have possibly known the consequences.

…

Celine had been worried that General Fletcher was going to have her stay for his interview with Cyborg, but luckily she was granted a reprieve and Cyborg faced off with Surge on his own.

Cyborg had been more nervous in his life time, he knew it, but as Surge's eyes ran past him, he couldn't think of a single instance when that was true.

But to his ultimate surprise, Colonel Fletcher didn't ask him a single question about his past with Celine. He was absolutely professional, despite the fact that he constantly referred to him by his birth name and not the name he had asked for.

When Cyborg exited the room, he didn't remember what he had told the AGU head and what he had withheld, if he withheld anything at all. BB had thought it strange that while all the others had exited the interviewing room angry and on the verge of destroying something (of which both Blackfire and Aqualad were successful) that Cyborg didn't seem to be feeling anything at all. BB had heard somewhere that the only people who could tolerate the intolerable was someone else just as intolerable. He knew Cyborg better than that, he knew Cyborg was a good guy, but something wasn't playing right in the green changeling's head and when his time came to sit down in front of General Fletcher, things did not get any better for him.

"Logan, Garfield: adopted son of Logan, Sinora. Birthplace Kenya, raised in South Africa. Age seventeen."

"That's right."

"You were the fourth member to join this geesh, arriving three members previous to Colonel Keelin's assignment."

Beast Boy nodded.

"Tell me your impression of Colonel Keelin's performance beginning with her preliminary introduction."

"She has a name. It's Celine."

"I am quite aware of Colonel Keelin's identity."

"I don't think you are. Just because you've got some facts on a piece of paper doesn't mean you know anything about who she is."

"I'm here to do exactly that, to make an assessment of Colonel Keelin."

"Have you tried talking to her? She'd know herself better than we do… at least she would if you weren't around."

"Mr. Logan, I wonder if you recognize the consequences of Colonel Keelin's presence at the Titans' Tower. There is much more to the Armed Guards Union's interest here than just giving your team an eighth. Colonel Keelin was given an objective."

"I do understand. Celine has been working really hard since the day she got here: improving the Titans, searching for Brother Blood and for the last three years she's been doing everything in her power to track down the bad guys, to find one of our team members and save the life of another."

"And how has that gone?"

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes. Inside his blood was boiling. Celine was a good friend to him: one of, if not **the** best one he had. She worked harder than anyone else, doing everything she could for anyone who needed it and what did she get for it? Her father looked down on her, her experiments weren't working: and the reason why they were in this mess was because one of them did. She was being punished for her kindness and it wasn't fair. Everyday she had to live with the memory of what her helping Beast Boy save Terra had done. That deep scar on her forehead, that marred her incomparable beauty, was something she had to wake up to. Every time she looked in the mirror, every time someone looked at her, she'd have to remember what had happened.

And here was her father, her own flesh and blood, incapable of letting her forget for one moment. Celine had let Beast Boy think that she was an orphan and with a father like Surge Fletcher, Beast Boy didn't blame her one bit.

"Do you care about her? At all?" BB asked.

"Colonel Keelin is one of the AGU's top officers."

"That's not what I asked you. Does Celine matter to you as a person? As your daughter?"

General Fletcher didn't respond.

"I thought so… but for some reason you matter to her. What are you getting out of this? Doesn't it even matter to you how Celine feels? Have you said one sentence to her using her name?"

"Mr. Logan, I'm here on professional business. Colonel Keelin knows this."

"It's Colonel Fletcher! Colonel Celine Marie Fletcher! That's your daughter! When are you going to get it? That's not just some girl who works for your agency. That's Celine Fletcher, one of the best people you'll ever meet and if for a minute you could stop being such a jerk you'd know that!"

"Mr. Logan, I'd exercise a bit of caution on your part if I were you." General Fletcher's voice was so emotionless that it sickened BB to his stomach.

"If you were me, you wouldn't need to interview everyone single Titan to know that Celine's a good person and that we're not going anywhere."

"That is not your decision to make."

"Its more mine than yours. Who are you to decide anyway? You think your files and reports can tell you anything about us? You don't know anything about us."

"On the contrary, Mr. Logan, I know quite a bit."

"Oh yeah? What's Starfire's favorite color?"

"Irrelevant."

"Sky blue. What's Robin's favorite food?"

"Inconsequential."

"Club sandwiches. Where did Celine get the scar on her forehead?"

Surge narrowed his eyes. It was the first time Beast Boy saw any trace of anything in his features. He was going to press the issue, he was going to stand up and yell down at General Fletcher that he didn't know enough about the Titans to condemn them: that he didn't know the Titans at all, but his declaration was denied when Celine entered the interviewing room and told him to stop.

BB turned and looked at her. "Celine, what are you…"

"Please Beast Boy, just go. I need a word with General Fletcher. If he has any further questions, I will call for you later."

He wasn't sure what he saw in Celine's dark brown eyes at that moment, but it had been enough to tell him that he should do what she said. He walked by her and for the first time in a long time, her eyes didn't follow him to watch him leave. The door slid closed behind him and Celine only waited a moment before General Fletcher began assembling his papers.

…

Robin leaned against the wall of the medic room, his arms crossed over his chest, his legs crossed at the ankle. From where he stood, half of his body was locked in the shadow of one of the diagnostic machines that had been running non-stop for the last three years. Bruce had taken a seat, his elbows pressed against his thighs as he leaned forward, his chin resting on his overlaying fists. He had been that way for sometime: every since he told Robin that Batman was retiring.

It had made sense to Robin, no matter how much he didn't like it. Bruce Wayne could only pull the double life for so long before he became tired or until he found something that he valued more than his unending pursuit of a nonexistent vengeance.

Robin remembered asking Bruce once why Batman was in the Justice League and not an officer of the AGU, because by classical definition, Batman was not a superhero. In Bruce's cool way he had responded simply that when you're the incarnation of vengeance, you get to decide where you go and under what call you serve. For years Batman had served the call of countless, faceless people whom needed rescuing… but now, he had only one face that needed rescuing, one that needed his devotion. He had spent enough time saving those without a name: he needed to save the one with a name that mattered to him deeply. He needed to save Sakura Chloe Wayne.

Those had been his thoughts when he decided to retire Batman and also retire the corporate beast that was the public Bruce Wayne. He wasn't going to dodge the rumor mill and the tabloid frenzy. He didn't care if the whole world knew he had a daughter. He was going to be a father to her and the first obligation of all fathers was to protect.

That had been his plan… until he met Speedy.

…

She didn't know what possessed her to react the way she did. That very moment was what she had wanted for years. General Fletcher stood in front of her and looked at her, looked her straight into the eye. For the brief few seconds, he wasn't General and she wasn't Colonel. It was Celine and her father Surge, but Celine had to ruin it. Surge had reached his hand up and ever so slightly had run his fingers on the three inch long scar on the left corner of her forehead. Celine pulled away.

"Now is not the time to start acting like a father. The role doesn't suit you."

Surge seemed to remember himself and his eyes became hard. He didn't miss a beat. "My next interview will be with the Titans' leader shortly, if you have any details to disclose, they can wait."

"No." Celine said firmly.

"Colonel Keelin, do your orders present a problem?"

"Yes they do. I'm not going to let you run over my friends because you don't trust me. I tried to be professional, I tried to be a good daughter, but none of that matters to you."

"You do not know what matters to me." General Fletcher replied.

"And I never will because you don't want me to know. I don't know why I ever wanted you in my life when it's so obvious you don't want me in yours."

"I expected a certain level of professionalism from you."

"I expected something close to human from you… so maybe it's just genetic that neither of us can tell anything about each other. If I weren't a genius, you wouldn't have ever let me keep your last name would you? You would have preferred it if I never found out who you were."

"Where is Loberos?" General Fletcher asked. He turned the question so quickly on her that Celine had to think a moment to register it.

Her voice dropped in her throat for a moment. A sting came to her eye but she forced it away. "He's with a friend."

Celine watched Surge move from the table to her networking console in the corner of the room. His back was turned to her when he began speaking.

"I'm disappointed with you Colonel."

Celine clenched her fingers. "Why aren't I good enough for you?" It was a simple enough question, one that she had asked herself for years and had come up with a million different reasons. But she needed to know which one was the real reason.

Surge didn't look back. "Because you can do better."

"You never believed that!"

Surge did turn then; his cold eyes seemed to be on fire as they stared down at Celine. The tall genius met his gaze and wouldn't let go until she knew all of his truths. "Haven't I? I've always assigned you tasks more difficult than any other agent, not to weed you out or embarrass you but to demonstrate that there is a capacity for your genius."

"And what does that prove? That I'm finite? That I'm mortal?"

"Yes. All of our capabilities are hindered by the influence of the rest of the world. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can focus on the capacity of your genius on problems and situations that require a solution in the immediate." Surge replied.

"The majority of my plans work because I exercise creativity and novel thinking."

"And what about the failures? What about the successes that lead to more failures that compound upon each other? Operation Red Hawk Sting---"

"Was a mistake and it was the only one." Celine interrupted immediately.

"It was your technology that returned animation to Terra Nostra. If I am understanding your report correctly, Terra Nostra was the mole for the operations that have left the Teen Titans in shambles. You exercised creative engineering, failed to recognize an implanted agent, allowed years of tactile training to be erased and crippled a team, endangering countless lives which you swore to the Armed Guards Union to serve and protect… Is that still one mistake?"

Celine balled her fists. She looked an inch away from tears, but Celine did not cry. She watched Surge investigate her console, his fingers accessing her network and observing her system. It seemed almost an obvious statement, from the tone of his voice, that he had expected her system to be flawed.

Celine stepped forward. "Do not modify my system."

"It's the same failure you installed in Operation Red Hawk Sting."

Celine stepped between him and her console, standing toe to toe with the older, higher ranking officer. "It's been modified… here I have to compensate for the human element: something you know nothing about."

"Colonel, is that how you address a ranking officer?"

And that was it for Celine. Her joints snapped fiercely when her fingers unclenched and restrained again. Her voice was angry, her face was furious and her eyes were on fire. She didn't know if she had ever yelled so loudly before. "It's how I address my father! You are a man first, father! Where is your compassion?"

"I am here."

Celine shook her head in disbelief at his gall. "You're obligated! I'm sure the Justice League had to twist your arm ruthlessly to get you here. And even when you're here, you don't care anything about me or anything that's happening to the Titans. You're here to validate your charges against me. Does it make you feel satisfied that the Titans are hurting? If it does, you're a sad man… if you're a man at all."

That could have been enough to remove Celine's services from the Armed Guards Union, if Surge saw it fit. At the very least he could have court marshaled her for insubordinate attitude and insufficient skills for managing her assigned project. But despite her flaws, she was one of the best agents in the arsenal of the AGU. Getting rid of her wasn't an option, getting her back was Surge's objective.

"I have gathered all the required information necessary to establish my report. I will inform you of my decision. Dismissed."

By habit Celine saluted him, it appeared. Whether or not he noticed that her fingers latched out during the retraction to catch something was totally irrelevant. Celine turned on her heel sharply and left General Fletcher behind her. When the door slid shut, Celine threw the contents of her hand against the wall. The small green fly morphed into the long-legged Beast Boy who landed with a thud on the ground.

"What did you think you were doing, Beast Boy?"

"Don't be mad Celine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay… I'm glad you stood up for yourself."

"That wasn't standing up for myself… that was the worst thing I could have possibly done." The long haired engineer massaged her forehead; her eyes squeezed shut when her fingers ghosted her scar. Her chest was shaking; Beast Boy could see she was fighting tears.

"Celine are you…"

"I'm not upset with you Beast Boy. I'm just… upset."

Celine reached behind her and removed her hair tie, letting her long red locks fall across her back. She should have been mad at Beast Boy for being there, for seeing her make all those mistakes, but that would get her nowhere and she already had a million different routes to get to where she already was.

"Celine, it's really late. How about you get some sleep?"

"No, I need to check my network and then check in with Robin, then start my next series of---"

"Celine, none of those things you just said can't wait until tomorrow."

"But there's still plenty of time today to get them done."

"There's still plenty of time tomorrow too."

She almost said out loud that he didn't know that for sure. When the thought hit her she was ashamed. She almost said sorry, and then realized that she hadn't actually said anything out loud. Beast Boy was right… she needed to sleep.

Celine gave Beast Boy a goodnight wave, went to her room and laid down on her bed. Her feet hurt, her neck was stiff and she had a headache from dealing with her father. It might have been all those things combined that made her fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

It was the years of sleep depravity that made her sleep three days straight.

…

Speedy came back to the tower; dropping his pack in his bedroom before going to the medic ward to check on Sakura. She was sleeping, just a gently as he had left her, but things were different.

It wasn't so unlikely for him to find two people in the medic room watching over Sakura when he wasn't around. What was strange was that while one of the people in the room was Robin, the other was distinctly not Celine.

The way the older man was looking down at the sleeping girl told Speedy that this was the man that the Lantern had told him about. From the way that Robin was relaxed in his place against the southern wall told Speedy that the man gazing down intently at Sakura was absolutely no threat.

But nothing told Speedy who the man was, until Speedy asked.

His dark head turned to Speedy; the same time that Robin removed himself from the shadows of the south wall to look at the red haired archer. Speedy knew who the man was, he wasn't raised in a cave, the face of Bruce Wayne was legendary. What he didn't know was why he was there…

Until he saw Bruce Wayne's eyes. Brown wasn't so unusual a color, the spectrum of its shades was rather limited, a lot of people had the same brown eyes without any relation to each other. But Bruce Wayne's eyes were different, they were deep, they were sad… they were Sakura's.

"Why did you wait so long to see her?" Speedy asked.

Robin stepped forward. "Speedy--"

Bruce called Robin off. The dark haired older man stood up. "No, it's alright Robin. It's a perfectly reasonable question." Speedy stepped closer putting himself at the foot of Sakura's bed. Robin was to the left, Bruce to the right. They stood over her: Robin's sister, Bruce Wayne's daughter and Speedy's girl, the three of them locked in silence until Bruce Wayne explained himself and Speedy gave him the rebuke he deserved and Robin made the compromise.

…

Three days passed. When Celine woke up Cyborg and Starfire were standing over her. She sat up in her bed and pushed her sheets away.

"Why are you staring at me?" Celine asked.

"We were concerned." Starfire replied.

"Why?"

"Celine, you were asleep for three days… We didn't know what to think." Cyborg replied.

"Three days? How did I ever sleep so long?"

"From all of the stress, we thought you could use the rest. However, a situation has arisen where your presence is needed." Starfire replied.

"He's still here then?"

Cyborg nodded. Celine climbed out of bed, realizing she was in her AGU uniform still. She almost made to take it off right there when she realized she still had an audience. She ushered them out, took off the purple dress and jacket and replaced them with her blue and white shirt and her dark grey skirt. She was calm as she put her boots on; she knew she should have felt anything but calm at that moment. Her lapsing into a three day sleep could not have bided well with the investigations into her personal competency.

When she left the room, Cyborg was waiting for her. The taller mechanical Titan dropped a hand onto her shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked.

Celine gave a non-committal answer. Cyborg grabbed the younger girl by the shoulders and hugged her. Celine didn't know why the gesture surprised her, she couldn't count the number of times they shared hugs. But this one felt different. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, pressing her forehead into the crook of Cyborg's shoulder.

"Why are you hugging me Vic?" Celine asked. Her fingers tapped the back of his shoulder blades and he let go.

"Don't know, just seemed like the right thing to do. Usually when we hug its' because I needed you… I guess I'm just returning the favor…" Cyborg seemed to think of something as Celine smiled at him, in a half-cocked way that Cyborg hadn't seen in years. "We're not going to let him take you away Celine… you mean too much to the team."

Celine nodded in the affirmative.

…

Speedy slipped his mask back on and Bruce Wayne nodded. Bruce Wayne had seen something that no one had seen in years. He had seen Roy Harper the man, the man who was both vulnerable and resilient, the man who knew tragedy and survival, the man who gave love and took trust: the man he was going to leave the care of his daughter to.

For exactly twenty three minutes, the medical room was completely unattended by human beings as the Titans gathered to see Bruce Wayne and General Fletcher off. The Titans were in something of broken line with Robin and Celine standing outwards from the rest of the group. Bruce and Surge stood directly in front of the pair. Aqualad had seen it best to keep his body in between Blackfire and General Fletcher and so had Starfire, the two were readied should General Fletcher give Blackfire any more justification for incinerating him on the spot.

"After evaluation and the observation of performance, I believe it is in the best interest of the Armed Guards Union that Colonel Keelin returns to the base of operations."

Collectively the group balked. Celine and Robin frowned; Cyborg and BB shook their heads. Cyborg had been the first to figure out that General Fletcher's intentions at the tower had nothing to do with the termination of the Titans. He was there for Celine and Celine only. He had spoken all of one word to Cyborg about the networking system or the progress they had made with their objectives; General Fletcher didn't seem to give any indication of interest in Cyborg's own encounters with Brother Blood. Surge had wanted to know about Red Hawk and Omicron and if the girl behind both of them was still worth his time.

And all the praise and affection for Celine that each of the Titans had given General Fletcher all the motivation he needed to desire Colonel Keelin as a weapon under the direct orders of the AGU.

Cyborg stepped forward, breaking the structured power-four arrangement. "General Fletcher, you should reconsider. If your efforts are focused on Brother Blood, you should realize that Celine is more valuable in that pursuit here than at the Armed Guards Union."

Robin nodded. "We have sufficient evidence to link the goals of Blood with Slade, whom the Titans are actively pursuing. The Titans and the AGU can work together for common goals: Celine can serve as the link between the both of them."

Celine nodded. "It would be reckless to leave my team at this point."

Surge shook his head in the negative. "It's not your team. How long can you remain a Teen Titan? You're going to 20 years old."

The Titans frowned collectively. Celine was twenty; she was going to be twenty one soon. They had all known, from the moment they had met General Fletcher, from the harsh words he spoke about Blackfire, about Celine, Aqualad and Robin, that the man didn't know as much he thought he did. He didn't understand the Titans because he couldn't see them. They represented the emotion of battle; the full spectrum of it: the passion, the fear, the unity, the brilliance, but General Fletcher could only see the failures that had come from that passion. He could only see what was on paper: that there was a Titan missing, a Titan injured and menace to the world that the Titans' hadn't been able to stop.

General Fletcher thought he saw everything. Robin was the first to voice his disagreement. "This is just as much Celine's team as it is mine, Starfire's, Cyborg's, any of us."

"And we aren't the Teen Titans anymore. We're just Titans and we're a fractured force." Cyborg added.

"Celine is important to us: as a friend and as a Titan. You taking her away would be detrimental to our best interests."

"We're a tight nit unit here; we aren't just about to let you take her away from us."

Beast Boy found the best words to sum up the Titans' collective view. "You haven't the authority to take Celine away from her family."

Surge looked across the spectrum of Titans: three aliens, the Junior Justice Leaguer, an animorph, a Sea King, Cyborg and two men with a luxury of toys. He was thoroughly unimpressed. "Is this the part of your speech where I'm supposed to be intimidated by your show of unity? You are mistaken. The goal of the Armed Guards Union will be enacted. Colonel Keelin, you have exactly one year from this date to validate your excursion with this unit. If you fail to produce sufficient evidence for your continued presence, you will return to your base of operations."

Celine nodded. "Understood."

Bumble Bee lead them out and left with a promise to come back as soon as she could. The second the doors closed behind her slender back the Titans (save Speedy) collapsed collectively on the couches.

Blackfire crossed her arms over her chest. "I've faced Crotian Glorkblargs more pleasant than him."

"You said it." BB replied, rubbing his temples.

"Let us not think about the unpleasantness we have all endured." Starfire suggested.

The archer raised his eyebrow high into his hair line.

"I'm guessing I missed a lot when I was gone." Speedy said, leaning over the couch.

"You heard the important parts." Robin said. "We're racing the clock now more than ever Titans. We've got a year to get something done."

They had the equivalent of all the time left in the world…

End of Part Four

A/N

¹That's the wrong Green Lantern, but I like John Stewart better than Hal Jordan. (not that there are any real distinguishable differences between their personalities)

²Those of you who've read the comic book should read this as a reference to his drug addiction.

So you're all probably wondering what that chapter was all about. Well Celine has one year to make progress. One year is how much time is left before Raven is woken up for her Transient Ceremony. I needed to give the Titans some since of urgency and this is the only logical way to do it.

This chapter was a little high on the cheese factor: you probably saw most of it coming… but the next part: you won't know what hit you.


	44. FarCry Part Five

FarCry

Part Five

ºflashbacksº

ºShe honestly didn't notice what time of day it was. The sky was dropping; the sky blue was losing to the orange and purples of nightfall. She didn't know how far she had run before she had gotten tired and walked, dragging her feet against the Earth. If she had wanted to, she could have pulled the ground beneath herself and floated to anywhere she wanted to go in the world. She had done it before, had done it a million times before, but it never got her to where she wanted to be.

The rocks skipped out over the canyon. The battle ground where she had first met the Teen Titans was locked in brown and oranges and blues that rivaled the sky. She sat down, all her weight collapsing onto one spot. Under anyone else, the earth would have shook and possibly given away, but Terra's natural reflexes to escape death kept the land steady, but in all honesty, the girl didn't know for how long.

There was only a little bit of wind, but it was enough to distract her. The desert air was dry, but not uncomfortable, she almost enjoyed the way it pulled her hair into her face: almost because Terra simply wasn't in the mind state to feel anything good.

_You always do this, don't you Terra? Whenever something good comes along… you have to ruin it… they were your friends… they didn't want anything from you… but now… they can't even look you in the eye…they want to destroy you… the way you tried to destroy them…_

Terra had asked herself once or twice, in that time that was really just a few months ago, but to her had felt like a hundred years past; she had asked herself why she had turned on the Titans so easily. And even then she knew the reason, as she donned her apprentice uniform and trained to destroy the Titans: she was doing it, because she was a bad person.

Terra dropped her chin to her knees, her thin arms hugging her shins as she looked over the canyon. _I wasn't confused, I wasn't being manipulated… I wanted to do all those things… So why did I think I deserved their forgiveness?_

She saw the shadow before she even heard the footsteps, long before she realized the vibrations she had been feeling weren't coming from her. The shadow came from an overly familiar presence, one that she thought she'd never see again. The blonde geomancer swerved her head, her hair whipping against the wind as her blue eyes locked on the most menacing creature she knew: that wasn't a part of herself.

"Slade."

"Hello Terra… alone again are we?"

Terra's eyes took on their dangerous yellow rage as she leapt to her feet. Her fists balled up and the earth trembled for her desires. A boulder was pulled from the canyon side, the mountain moaned lowly but was able to hold itself together. That boulder rose behind Terra's back and with a single thrust of her hand, it took course to lay out Slade.

He didn't bother cocking his head, though he was amused. With a short grunt, Slade's arm ignited in his ill-begotten power. The boulder approached and with a single backhand Slade crumbled the stone. Terra's eyes lost their glow, her pale blue irises widened in shock. Through the fragments of flame and scattered earth, she could see Slade staring right at her. She swallowed hard.

Slade's voice was menacing and behind the back drop of fiery flashes of earth, he was almost sinister. His wicked power twirled under his control. "Everyday fire scorches the land… I wonder, what great counterattack does the Earth command… do **you** command that could match that fury?"

Terra took a step forward. Her eyes trailed up from his powerful hands to his face. The memory of the past came back to her the way a movie could be replayed. She remembered giving it all she had, to send him away, as far away as she possibly could. "After that attack… you lived?"

"Lived is such… an ambiguous term. I'd like to think I **endured** your malcontent."

"Get away from me!"

"Get away… from you? Terra, you're in my stomping ground… you're constantly interrupting my vision of the canyon… sometimes I wonder if you're coming out here to find **me**."

"Why would I want to find you?"

"Terra, I had hoped you would have gotten to know me a little better in your time as my apprentice. I am a man who presents opportunities… unbiased and generous."

"What you're sellin', I ain't buyin'! So you better--"

"What?" Slade interrupted, stepping closer to the short girl. His arms became a blaze in his powers. "Should I run Terra? Should I be frightened of **your** powers? The powers** I** honed? The powers **I** nourished?"

Terra frowned. "I'm listening."

"They aren't so welcoming at Titans' Tower are they? I saw your fight against Dr. Light. I heard the way they yelled at you… they don't trust your abilities."

Terra frowned. The blonde girl turned her eyes to the side; she wasn't going to say anything either way. But she already knew that by turning her head, she said a million more things than her words ever could.

"They don't accept you… because they're not your friends. They were never your friends."

"That's not true! They're… mad at me… but… they…" Terra's blue eyes wavered, her tears ready to shed. "Beast Boy and Celine were nice to me!"

"Beast Boy **and** Celine… I noticed that pairing as well. They are rather close aren't they? I wonder if Beast Boy is close to you again, because Celine has been close to you… And what motivation does Celine have to befriend you?"

"You're wrong! They're just friends! Celine wouldn't… Beast Boy would never…" Terra's shoulders dropped when she realized that what she had wanted to pretend wasn't true, was reality. Her blue eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "They're just toying with me, aren't they?"

"You could find out for yourself."

"They'd lie to me." Terra replied.

"Terra, you know very well there are numerous ways to get information from someone without asking them directly."

"Spy on them?" Terra worried her lip. The last time she had done that… _It's the exact same thing as last time! _"I'm not going to help you, Slade, in whatever game you're playing with Robin and the Titans. I won't betray my friends."

"Friends? Terra, you don't have friends. Friends are for the weak and dependent. Even before I nurtured your talents, you were able to make it on your own. But the moment you aligned yourself with the Titans, they wore you down, they took all your talents and made them appear inferior to their own. They tried to make you a **lesser** class of human being. The way Robin didn't trust you; the way Sakura looked over you… the way Raven constantly looked down on you… the way none of them forgave you."

The wind picked up and Slade turned his face into it, while Terra turned hers away. She tried to push the locks behind her ear, but the wind pulled them free, throwing them over her right eye. Slade stepped forward, putting a hand under her chin. She was crying. It was the truth. No matter what she wanted to believe, Slade had never lied to her.

"The Titans don't believe you're one of them. They don't think of you at all if they can… they will never let you back in… not the way I'm willing to."

Terra's eyes peered up into the two sides of Slade's face: the blank side of his mask was infinitely less sinister than the golden left side: his malicious side, his seeing side, his knowing side. It was from the golden side that he could see all in his unbiased and infinite way… he could always see opportunity. "You could forgive me?" She finally asked.

Slade pulled his hand away from her chin. "You only walked away…" Slade replied. "I never abandoned you…" There was a pause as if he were thinking, but Terra knew that he had this all planned out. "I still have much to teach you."

Terra tilted her head to listen. "What could you offer me?"

"Dear girl, I taught you everything you know, but I did not teach you everything."

"You want to show me more… even after what happened?"

Slade nodded. He extended his mark to her. Terra took it. She looked down at his symbol, the way it stood out from her glove. It looked perfectly in place in her grip. She blinked slowly, pushing a breath out that expanded her small chest. She almost smiled.

"Back then… I didn't mean to destroy you."

"I know. You couldn't control your power."

Terra sneered, the yellow glow returning to her eyes. The word control frustrated her like nothing else: not traitor, not weak, not even dangerous. Her breathing was hard, a tear might have formed in her angry eyes, but it was blinded by her anger of the land.

"You shouldn't have pushed me so hard!"

Slade didn't seem impressed with her fury. His voice was absolutely calm. "You should have listened."

The two looked at each other; Slade's single eye was focused even as Terra's waved. The wind only affected her. _This is the wind of change… I can get better if I change… But I've done this before… I've been good; I've been evil… what are my options really?_

"I'm not good at being bad." Terra finally said, looking down at the mark in her palm.

"You're worse at being good."

Terra didn't need to think about what was happening, what was happening again. Slade was giving her opportunity and she would be a fool not to take it.

"If I do this… will I owe you anything?" Terra asked.

Slade shook his head in the negative. "This is an alliance Terra, quite a promising one… do what inspires your **compassion**." Terra's eyes narrowed at the word. Slade noticed. "This is an opportunity that can only be extended once: you were a phenomenal power beside me… Stand side by side with me and you will get all you desire."

Terra knew that there was more to Slade's generosity than met the eye. There always was… but Terra wasn't the kind to learn from past mistakes. Her life was a perpetual cycle of making bad choices, paying for them, running away and making bad choices again. From abandoning Geo-Force, from abandoning the Titans, she wasn't meant to be a team player. She was meant for alliances, not for friends. _They want to destroy me the way I tried to destroy them… but I couldn't beat them… so they can't beat me… _

Terra dropped all her pretenses of resistance. She knew what she wanted; she knew what she was going to do. "You'll find it lonely on my side." She said with a slight smile.

"Your side always was a bit lonely." Slade replied.

Terra stood as tall as she could and the wind stilled, dropping her hair over her right eye. She didn't bother to push it aside. "What do I have to do?"

"All it takes is your blue eyes. Tell me what you see, tell me what they know and tell me what they're doing… and you'll get everything you deserve."

"Deal.¹"º

…

Beast Boy frowned as Robotman continued his assessment of the Doom Patrol's findings.

"It was quiet for a little while, but apparently one of the Brotherhood's go-to-guys is back in action."²

"Any idea which one?" Beast Boy asked.

Robotman shook his head in the negative. The movement didn't shake the communications display at all. His massive form remained steady on the screen. "Sorry Bean Sprout, but we'll let you know if we hear anything."

BB nodded. "Thanks Cliff."

"Sure thing. Tell your ma we'll stop over to check on her soon. She's probably gone stir crazy without you in her hair."

BB frowned when he watched Robotman's eye contact leave him and follow something going on behind him. The green changeling turned his head and saw Celine walking across the common room, her head bowed down reading a print out. When she stopped in front of Robin, passing the papers to the Titans' leader, Robotman's eyes stopped as well.

"Humina, humina! Who's the angel on Earth?" Robotman asked.

BB shook his head. "Goodbye Cliff." He cut off the communication before Robotman could protest. The youngest member of the Titans joined the round table, taking his seat beside Aqualad and Blackfire.

Sadly, it was no surprise, when that year was drawing to a close that they had found nothing. The Titans had been anxiously counting down the days, hoping that something would spring up, something that would keep General Fletcher's threat as simply that: a threat, unacted upon and infinitely less biting than a promise. But there were only two weeks left and they had gotten no where.

Dedicating all of her time to the AGU deadline wasn't possible. Too many factors took Celine's attention, demanded Celine's commitment to the Titans in the absolute. The Brotherhood of Evil was slowly, but undoubtedly, making its influence on the world. The Titans had enlisted the help of as many organizations as they could to quiet the riot the Brotherhood was creating, but it was taking time and effort the Titans couldn't afford to spend.

Celine was preparing to give up her AGU badge… because she was not leaving the Titans. Robin was doing everything he could to make sure Celine didn't have to make that sacrifice.

Robin looked over the stack of papers. Things were crashing down on the team of heroes; everyday became more and more of a struggle. Sakura hadn't recovered, the Brotherhood of Evil was flexing its ill will on the young heroes of the world and nothing remotely smelling of the Syndicate had passed the Titans' radar. They couldn't be sure, but they hoped to believe that there was some part of the Syndicate was working on this side of the dimensional divide that the Titans could confront. Their only guess on who that could be was Brother Blood.

"We need to flush out Blood." Cyborg said.

The Titans' leader nodded, pushing the stack of papers away from him.

"Perhaps an infiltration of the HIVE academy?" Blackfire posited.

Robin shook his head in the negative. "That never works."

"Besides," Cyborg added. "There hasn't been so much as a sneeze from the HIVE since we caught Red Hawk."

Robin rubbed his squared jaw. He didn't like this, not a single bit. For four years the Titans had been held at bay by circumstances none of them were mentally and emotionally prepared for. Terra, Slade, Brother Blood, the darkness of Raven's progeny: all of the worst aspects of their lives had come together and crashed against the collective will of the Titans… and it was winning. And if they didn't do something, the AGU would take something else away from them. Robin's eyes drifted to Celine, then back to the center of the Titans' roundtable.

The Titans needed something, anything… something to stop the hurting cycle. They needed to fend off the AGU, to counter-defend the Brotherhood of Evil, to revive Sakura and rescue Raven: none of those goals were proving to be easier than the others, but the timeline was giving them one that needed their attention immediately. Somehow, Robin knew if they could find the answer to that problem, all the others would fall into place.

"Starfire and D'ucel should be returning from their information retrieval missions soon. Maybe they can shed some light on our situation." Aqualad presented.

Those particular missions had become few and far between as it was increasingly harder to stay in touch with the young heroes of the world. Already Hot Spot and Mas y Menos had dropped off their radar. When luck arose and new informants introduced themselves, they usually had no new information to present.

If not for the hope each mission had the potential for, Robin would have stopped their outreach all together. The Titans' leader had been wearing a frown for the last few weeks. Things used to change in rapid succession when they were younger: when the Titans were Teens and when good always conquered evil. But now when the balance of power had shifted in favor of the machinations of evil men, the world stopped and presented its dark face to those who sought justice, righteousness and liberty.

In Robin's head ran memories upon memories when the Titans were a team that could not be stopped. Even before the ties that bonded them so closely together had formed, there was an absoluteness about the inexhaustible capacity of the Titans' power. When he was just a fledgling leader, everything about his team had amazed him: Beast Boy's quick wit, Starfire's infinite arsenal, Cyborg's strength, Speedy's skill… everything about them.

ºRobin hadn't known Raven was such a good martial artist until he spared against her. The Titans' eight, the collective unit before Sakura became a permanent fixture, trained together in the most elaborate of their obstacle courses. It was a design tournament, based on what the male Titans had witnessed in the Tournament of Heroes, where each level had obstacles that tested their particular skills and stamina. Robin had proved to be a master of more than just heroes: he defeated Starfire and Cyborg to make it to the next plateau. He had expected a rematch with Speedy, from the other end of the brackets, but instead he found Raven. She had beaten both Speedy and Beast Boy to make it to the final level with him.

He had expected her to use only the arsenal of her magic and was surprised with the way her legs shot out with controlled moves. He realized that Raven was more than competent in fighting; she flexed her dark powers just as readily as spin kicks and blocks. She could defend and counter and hurl her might in a way that made Robin almost positive that she was testing him. But there was something obvious, something he noticed when his throw had pulled her hood from her face. Her eyes were sad, she didn't want to fight Robin; it wasn't the way she wanted to prove to herself that she had made the right decision to make him the leader of the Titans. She wanted to be able to trust him in a fight without a fight. She wanted his character, not just his skill and Robin wasn't sure he was giving it to her.

The way his body danced, the graceful movements he had honed since he was a child, moved him in a way that would inspire the wind to turn. He could see how her purple eyes followed him when her dark power trailed after him. He skid to a stop and changed his attack plan. Raven's energy claws sung out and Robin's bow staff and discs matched her and triumphed over her too.

Raven drop kicked him, the blow striking his face. Her eyes were wide as she watched him take the blow and roll stiffly against the floor.

"Robin? Are you okay? I told you I didn't want to do this… I didn't want to hurt you."

"You can't hurt me Raven." Robin said quickly, the surprise in Raven's face allowed Robin to swing his legs, sweep kicking her and taking her footing from under her. She fell to her bottom stiffly as Robin twisted his hips and pulled himself to his feet. "Trust me. Don't be afraid to give me all you've got. You won't break me. You have my word."

He could tell from her face that she was surprised but obviously relieved. She back rolled out of danger and prepared to give him everything she had.º

He had seen her move freely then, had seen her prepared to let herself trust Robin to stay strong no matter how much of her demonic skill was thrown against him. He hadn't known then that she was teaching him to protect himself should all the tragic things in her life course come true.

She had been preparing him all along to keep him strong, to keep him safe, to lead the Titans through a dark age… she had prepared him, but he had let her down on his part.

He was doing everything in his power to rectify his mistakes.

…

Starfire and D'ucel returned that afternoon, before their meeting had adjourned.

"Star, Fox, what have you been able to find out?" Cyborg asked.

"Unfortunately Red Star had no new information. I am afraid he has his own worries to contend with." Star admitted.

"The Wildebeest Society could not be of assistance. They, too, are occupied with the movements of the Brotherhood of Evil." Foxfire added.

"I'm keeping in contact with the Doom Patrol… hopefully they can come up with something to reduce the pressure we're all feeling from the Brotherhood." BB said.

"Thanks BB. Any help at all would be beneficial."

"I do not wish to interrupt," D'ucel said. "But something concerns me."

"What is it Fox?"

"Perhaps Cyborg, I am wondering if you can tell of the error in my communicator."

Cyborg frowned. "Error?" The mechanical Titan took the device. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it.

"Yes, during communication, I received a transmission addressed to you."

"Me?" Cyborg asked.

"It was not a complete transmission."

"Why would Fox get a message for Cyborg?"

"My radio frequency is the same as the communicator… but we've never had a cross-communication before…"

"Maybe it was from someone without a Titan's communicator who didn't know your exact frequency." Robin posited.

"Maybe. Fox, do you know who it was from?"

"No, it was interrupted. It was a female, requesting your assistance."

"A female?"

"Could it have been Raven?" Robin stood up, nearly knocking over his chair.

"I do not believe so… the voice was not familiar to me."

Cyborg frowned, staring down at the device. Celine tapped his arm.

"Maybe part of the message was encrypted into the communication network. We may be able to trace it back to wherever it came from." Celine suggested.

"Right, Omicron, I think there's a function on your console that's best suited for this."

The two stood up and went to Celine's control panel. As their fingers rushed along keys rapidly, the other Titans turned their attention back to the meeting.

"D'ucel, can you give us any specifics?"

"Unfortunately I cannot. There was no visual image and the voice was interrupted by static."

"When did you get the message?"

"As I was making my return. I believe I was over the desert between Bludhaven and the city of Steel."

Robin frowned. "What else do you know?"

"It was a girl and she asked for Cyborg's assistance."

"Cyborg," Robin called over to his second-in-command. "Anything yet?"

"Not yet."

"Any guesses, anything?"

Celine shook her head. "We're not getting any traces of the communication. We'll keep looking though."

The team could hear the pounding of keys, Celine and Cyborg's talents worked along side each others in a way that could only be expected from the two of them. Their varying levels of genius and mechanical know how had been something they had relied on immensely; it was something that rarely let them down: though it was lost on no one that neither of them had been able to make a push the last few years.

But then again, none of them really had. Robin stood up and left the common room. His feet took him to the medic room where he found Sakura, just as he sadly expected, though Speedy wasn't there. Robin frowned; he figured the other masked hero was in the bathroom or something.

Last year when Bruce had come to see Sakura, he had made Speedy prove to him that he was doing the right thing by leaving Sakura in his care. Speedy didn't need words, didn't need to declare his ever lasting devotion and love. He spoke something much louder than words, promises and declarations ever could have.

He had taken off his mask and showed Bruce Wayne his identity. Robin had been so surprised that he had turned his head as to not catch a glimpse of who was behind the agile archer Speedy. But he did turn and he saw eyes so green Robin couldn't help but stare. He and Bruce had looked back at Speedy, and Robin had almost been inspired by Speedy's trust in Bruce and himself, to take off his own mask.

But he hadn't. He stared back at the man, who loved his sister more than he could say in words, through masked eyes. Exactly three people knew what color eyes Robin had: Bruce and Alfred weren't telling anyone and Sakura wasn't in the position to. As much as he wanted a forth person to know that level of his history, that fourth person was not Speedy.

_Raven…_ _Where are you? What will it take to get you back to me… so I can show you that you weren't wrong to trust me… weren't wrong to love me… I could show you everything you mean to me… show you that I won't ever hide myself from you again… I'll be any part of myself for you, anything you want… When I get you back… I'll…_

Speedy walked in and took a look at Sakura's biostatistics monitor. Nothing had changed in the three minutes he had been gone. Speedy wasn't surprised to find Robin looking over his sister. The two had made something of a brotherhood between the two of them: much to the result of Bruce Wayne's pushing. Speedy had only heard rumors of Bruce Wayne's wisdom and generosity, but the legend lived up to his hype and demonstrated qualities of a man that both Robin and Speedy wanted to possess.

Speedy and Robin trained together. Something in Speedy told him that Sakura would never forgive him when she woke up if he didn't give her a good fight. Speedy's arrows would sing through the air, chasing the long-haired Titans' leader through back flips and round-offs. Robin's exploding disks would cut through the air and match Speedy's skill. For hours at a time the two would hammer at each other and demand with their own skills for the other to get better. Every fight they matched the call.

Sometimes Speedy won, sometimes Robin and sometimes they beat each other so evenly and thoroughly that neither of them was in any shape to train again for days. Their bodies could endure much more punishment then they had when they were young heroes battling in a tournament of their peers. Their strengths and speeds had nearly doubled: Speedy's releases were fractions-of-a-second faster and Robin's reaction times shortened with every increase in Speedy's skill. They could stand toe to toe, at nearly six feet tall, and stare into the mask of their opponent as their arms flexed to grip a bow or a bo-staff.

They could stand toe to toe as men facing the same fear in different degrees. Eventually they'd stand toe to toe as men worthy of Bruce Wayne's praise. Bruce had told them, that there was empire of fortune in making sure that the love they wanted was the love they held onto and protected forever. His own love life was a complication of tragedy and hope, without which Robin wouldn't be alive and without which Speedy wouldn't have a love.³ They owed Bruce to never again let the love they had slip through their fingers: Speedy had to be ready to welcome Sakura into his arms and protect her, Robin had to find Raven and keep her safe for the rest of her life.

The two men had bonded in a brotherhood to make sure that they kept that promise.

Speedy turned to his brother in arms, ready to say something and Robin turned ready to hear. His would be conversation starter was interrupted when the Titans' alarm went off. Robin frowned, Speedy raised his eyebrow. The Titans' leader opened his communicator and connected to Celine.

"Celine, what's going on?"

"We've got movement!"

"What? What is it?"

"Blood."

Robin left Speedy behind as he broke into a run to the common room. The automatic doors didn't seem to open fast enough for Robin; he nearly collided with the receding panels, dashing in like mad to stand beside his team.

Celine's fingers were dashing against her panel, just as Cyborg's were.

"What? What's going on?"

"We've got activity! The scanners have picked up the Fearsome Five moving in the Ronaro desert east of Steel City!"

"I'm getting a lock on their exact coordinates. Got 'em! Thirteen miles north of Bludhaven in a bromide cave!"

"This is the first time anything related to Blood has moved. This could be what we need!"

"Titans! Go!"

…

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat…**_

Robin's heart throbbed in his chest as he navigated the R-cycle over the Ronaro desert. His heartbeat had never been so painful. He didn't think his chest could take it. But his will forced his body to endure it. The Titans moved in packs. Robin's R-cycle sped ahead of the T-car which was loaded with Cyborg, Celine, Beast Boy and Aqualad. Above them Star, Blackfire and D'ucel flew as fast as they could, their eyes ablaze and focused. All of their hearts were pounding as they listened to Celine's communication.

"We've got movement from the Fearsome Five: Jinx, Gizmo, See-more, Private Hive and Mammoth. No trace of Brother Blood, but getting one of them will get us closer to Blood and the Slade Syndicate. Knowing the HIVE academy system: we'll want Jinx or Gizmo."

Robin nodded and revved his motor as the distance between them and the bromide cave became shorter and shorter. His motor cycle spun out, the spinning back wheel kicking up dirt. His visor pulled a yellow tint on the scenery, but when he pulled the helmet off, he found that the mouth of the cave was yellow, there was obviously flames lighting the path and even from the entrance they could see there was activity within. The rest of the Titans banded beside Robin. Cyborg readied his beam cannon and Celine pulled her Firefly into a grip she could run with.

Their pace was fast but short lived; they were surprised to see that the stretch of shadows weren't exaggerating the distance between them and the movement inside. It only took one minute to get to the thick of things.

And they couldn't have been more surprised with what they found.

They found Jinx… vs. the Fearsome Five.

They could see that the natural grace was wounded. Her evasive back flips weren't nearly as well trained as they had seen them. There was an effort behind them: she was obviously injured. Her movements her labored, but good enough to keep her out of danger.

Gizmo laughed mechanically as he stalked forward, his missiles firing forward to chase Jinx across the cave. The girl tumbled to the side, the missiles missing and exploding against the cave walls. The pink haired girl extended an unwounded arm, firing hex waves that connected with Gizmo's mechanical body, hurling the half-pint HIVE graduate across the cave. The move left her open to an attack. Mammoth slammed his shoulder into her side, throwing the girl across the ground; her moving body kicked up dirt and blocked her view only for a moment as Private Hive attacked.

The Titans were frozen in place as they watched Jinx counter the attack with a back sacrifice throw. Jinx turned to watch Private Hive soar clear over her head, leaving a leg extending behind her. Mammoth exploited her mistake, grabbing the outstretched limb and using it as a handle. He wrenched her off the ground and turned his body in a fierce spin before letting Jinx go to slam in the cave wall. Jinx's body twisted and corrected its orientation; her feet and hands met the cave wall, her outstretched right leg absorbing the force.⁴ Her breathing was hard as she maintained her crouch, defying gravity, her pink eyes scanning over the cave. Her eyes passed the four HIVE members after her life and saw the Titans watching with surprise. Her eyes widened in relief.

"Cyborg! Help!"

Cyborg jumped back in surprise. The rest of the Titans raised their eyebrows at the request. Cyborg took a step forward, but his foot hadn't touched down. Gizmo released a barrage of missiles, half trained at Jinx, the other at the Titans. Jinx somersaulted from the wall, landing in a crouch as the Titans shielded their eyes.

"They can't help you now."

Cyborg raised his head from the smoke, his eyes and Celine's equally wide when they placed the voice.

Brother Blood emerged from the spin of dust to stand in the apex of their collective gazes. He stood in his red robes in the epicenter of the Titans, Jinx and the Fearsome Five-minus one. Jinx's eyes widened in shock. She moved, pushing her body back and breaking the equilateral triangle. Blood watched her, his eyes fixed between the second triangle within the first: the triangle of Cyborg, Jinx and Celine.

"What's going on?" Cyborg asked.

"Once again I'm dealing with another spy. Tell me, Jinx, Cyborg, Celine… was anyone at my school actually there to learn?"

"We learned alright, Headmaster. Let us at 'em." Mammoth replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Have fun my children, but leave Cyborg, Celine and Jinx to me."

Celine's eyes widened when Brother Blood made the initial dash at Jinx. The red haired genius dropped the Firefly across her shoulder and unleashed a barrage of sonic shots trained at the rushing Blood. He moved nimbly between them and Jinx's eyes widened as his approach was imminent. It was at the last moment, when Blood spun a leg to strike her down that a shot from Celine's cannon knocked Blood from his assault. Brother Blood let out a shout as he slammed to the ground. It was nearly swallowed by Cyborg's battle roar as he leapt forward to strike out at his nemesis.

Eye beams tore through the cave as Blackfire did her part in keeping See-more at bay. Starfire and Robin worked together. Star launched the Titans' leader who dealt out expert kicks that devastated Private Hive. D'ucel's raining Fox shots kept Gizmo dancing around, weaving between each furious energy ball. Mammoth was holding his own against Aqualad's hooks, catching the Atlantian's arm and throwing him across Beast Boy's vision. The green changeling morphed in a bull and stampeded into the massive anti-hero. Mammoth met him head on, gripping his horns and trying to push him backwards as his feet dragged against the ground.

Blood moved against Cyborg's attacks and underneath Celine's advances. Behind them, Jinx held her shoulder. The half-demon watched the movements before her, trying to find someway to shift the fight. Blood kicked Celine away the girl landing a few inches from Jinx. Jinx frowned, but that was immediately erased when she saw Brother Blood leap forward to drive his knee into Celine's vulnerable back. In his decent he was helpless against Jinx's catapult kick, the blow knocked Blood backward, but it did not stop Jinx's rush. As Brother Blood turned his body to land on his feet, Jinx's foot lashed out, the straight kick connecting with Blood's chest. She carried the momentum, spinning her heel across his cheek before turning a cartwheel, the toe of her boots crashing into Blood's face. She landed in a low crouch and as Blood recovered, she dropped into an Art of Phoenix stance.⁵

Robin's battle roar scared Mammoth as much as Robin's incoming assault. Robin's boots connected with Mammoth's breadbasket, hunching the massive anti-hero, leaving him open for Robin's back somersault, his toes connecting with Mammoth's chin. As Robin's body turned backwards, so did Mammoth's, but while Robin landed on his feet, Mammoth landed with a solid thud on his back. Gizmo tore through the air, dodging purple eyebeams and Starbolts. He ducked and weaved coming close enough to spring a net that captured Blackfire and dropped the Tameranian powerhouse to the floor. Starfire gasped and dove to free her sister. Gizmo laughed mechanically until a T-Rex crunched down on his wings and shook him like a rag doll.

Cyborg's fists hammered down on Brother Blood's guard. Celine waited with her Firefly across her shoulder for Cyborg to give her the opportunity.

"Where have you been all this time?" Cyborg grunted out, as his massive hands swung outwards in brute force.

"Enduring malcontents!" Blood replied, leaping up and delivering a spin kick that knocked Cyborg away. Blood's smug smile lasted only a second before a sonic blast from the Firefly smashed into his side. He turned his head to her, watching her eyes narrow behind her sight as she took aim again. He smiled coolly.

Starfire caught Private Hive in a Tameranian submission maneuver. She held it tight and unforgiving, the Titans were reduced by a fighter, but they had one less opponent to deal with. Aqualad's grip on See-more gave him the leverage to deliver an over head throw, sending the villain into the southern wall. Blackbolts rained down from the sky, making sure that See-more saw nothing more for the rest of the fight.

Brother Blood knocked aside Jinx's Dragon Fly kick, but Jinx recovered, dropping back into the Art of Phoenix. Her hips twisted, launching her legs from underneath her and up into Blood's middle. He took the first shot, but blocked the second and countered the third, grabbing Jinx's ankle and tossing her side. Cyborg grappled him from behind, wrenching an arm behind his back. The two grunted and groaned as they struggled for dominance before missiles erupted behind Cyborg, turning his attention. Blood capitalized and tossed Cyborg over his shoulder, slamming him into Jinx. Celine dropped to a knight's kneel, sending a sonic beam over Blood's shoulder and crashing into Gizmo. Blood smiled and dashed at her. Celine couldn't recover fast enough and when Blood struck she could do nothing but watch.

Her brown eyes widened in shock and the rest of the cave seemed to cease all motion. The crack of energy stunned them all. Celine heard the results of the attack. Her weapon was hot, it hissed and sparked. Celine's ears were drumming; her eyes were painfully dry from her inability to blink. At her feet was the severed barrel of her Firefly… above her head was standing Blood, holding Red Hawk's sword.

"That's… how did you?"

"Red Hawk was just as much my creation as she was yours… I suppose that entitles me to her gifts."

"But she's in jail and the sword was stored separately."

"Getting them both was as simple as freeing Professor Chang. He opened the lock and got me what I needed."

"And where is Red Hawk?"

"I destroyed her… she turned out to be too much like you… she turned out to be useless as well."

Blood drew back the sword to attack. Celine flinched and closed her eyes for the strike that didn't come. Celine felt the shadow moving over her body, the cloth moving freely against the movement. Her eyes opened and she saw the struggle.

Jinx held a slip of paper between her fingers. In front of Jinx, Blood wore a face of confusion. His grey eyes darted back and forth as if looking for something… as if looking for Celine.

_A-look-over-me hex?_⁶

Jinx stood between Blood and Celine, one of her hands grabbed the swinging arm and the other twisted in a complicated pattern that was tattooed against Blood's chest. Celine could see over Jinx's shoulder that he was losing control of his body. Jinx let go of Blood's swinging arm, but Blood didn't continue the attack. His face was flustered, his lips sputtering, unable to make a sound. Jinx took a hesitant step backwards, her shoulder brushing Celine's as the taller girl stood behind her.

Jinx pulled a narrow slip of paper from her sleeve. The paper became stiff as she whispered a curse.

"Endari Ende Mortix!"

The paper generated a demonic wave, shooting dark energy across the cave. All the members of the HIVE were triumphed by it. All resistance was suppressed as their bodies were weighed down by Jinx's power. But the Titans were unaffected.

"How did you do that?" Celine asked.

Jinx shook her head. "That may not hold for long… we've got to get out of here." Jinx warned. She reached up smoothly and pulled the sword from Blood's grasp. Brother Blood sneered and tried to overcome the hex, but for the moment it was too tightly woven.

Celine reached down and grabbed the severed half of Firefly. She wanted to stay and capture Blood, but she could see that he was already breaking free and without her weapon, without the Titans at full power, they wouldn't be successful.

The Titans dashed from the cave, leaving the villains to struggle behind them. The second the last Titan cleared the cave, Jinx turned back towards the entrance. She removed two more slips of paper and whispered again.

"Endari Ende Mortix." She pressed the papers on either side of the entrance. She frowned and stepped back.

"What was that?" BB asked.

"I placed a seal on the cave… it won't hold long… but it will give us some time."

"Us?" Aqualad asked.

The team watched Jinx toss Celine Red Hawk's sword. The red haired girl caught it with a frown. She looked over the sword before turning her eyes back to the girl who had given it to her. All the Titans stared back at Jinx. Cyborg stepped forward and asked what was on all of their minds.

"Jinx… what was that?"

"Blood was trying to stop me…"

"Stop you from what?"

"From getting to you…" Jinx replied. "But he failed…"

Robin frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You got my message, didn't you?"

"Your message?" Cyborg asked.⁷

Jinx nodded. "I needed to tell you… I know where she is."

End of Part Five

A/N

¹Without a doubt, that passage was not meant to show sympathy for Terra. That's just a glimpse into her character state, how easily she turned against the Titans, not because of what Slade said, but because of what kind of person see was: a bad one.

²That go-to-go was Professor Chang.

³ If Bruce hadn't lost Asuka, Robin would never have been born and Sakura would have never met Speedy. So Bruce had to lose so Speedy and Robin could win.

⁴Any of you familiar with Advent Children, you'll recognize this as the eye candy in the Tifa vs. Loz fight.

⁵Jinx fights with the Hakke Ken, Hike Ken & Various Chinese Martial Arts styles of Ling Xiaoyu in Tekken Five.

⁶A look-over-me hex is exactly what it sounds like, it allows a person and anything very close to it to go unseen by the target.

⁷D'ucel said he got the message between Bludhaven and Steel City, which is where the Bromide cave was. Also, the transmission was looking for Cyborg and originating from a female without a Titans' communicator. All signs pointed to Jinx. (well, you didn't know that…)


	45. FarCry Part Six

FarCry

Part Six

"I'm not a bad guy." Jinx said defensively.

She stood in the circle of Titans in the center of the common room. Her slender arms were crossed over her chest, her hips turned to the side. The grey interior of the room was matching their mood, Jinx could tell from their narrowed eyes and cocked heads that they weren't buying it.

"Yeah, right." BB replied.

Celine waved her hand to quiet him. "You'll have to forgive us… we're just a little overly cautious about bad guys that want to do good."

"My word may not be worth much, but I'll give it to you. I'm hoping we can help each other."

"Help each other how?" Aqualad asked.

"You want to get back someone precious to you… I want to save someone precious to me."

Robin crossed his arms over his chest. The movement shifted his pony tail to fall over his back. Jinx had been stunned with the physical changes she had seen in the Titans, especially Robin and Beast Boy, or BB as they were referred to him, but what could she expect after not seeing them for four years?

"We're listening." Robin finally said.

"A few years ago, I infiltrated the HIVE to get to Blood, because I knew he was working for Washu. Blood and Washu have been working together for years, much longer than you're aware of. Washu made him some promise and Blood is doing whatever Washu wants to get it."

"What does Blood want?" Cyborg asked.

"Don't know… but I do know what Washu wants."

"To bring about the end of the world. We already know that part. Tell us something we don't know." Robin demanded.

"The reason I infiltrated the HIVE is because… Washu has my brother and I want him back. I did everything Blood said so I could get close to him… but eventually he caught on… but only after I found out Washu's location… and that's why Blood attacked me, so I wouldn't tell you about Washu… Washu has my brother: he has Raven." Jinx replied.

Robin stepped forward. "Do you know how to get to them? To where Raven is?"

Jinx nodded. "There's a path to Washu's hideout located not far from the bromide cave where you found me… I was on my way there when Brother Blood caught up with me."

"Take us there!"

Jinx shook her head in the negative. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"The way is a portal with a time trigger… it opens every six days to the Wahan Cave where Washu is hiding. I could have opened it tonight, but it's closed now and I won't be able to open it for another six days…"

Celine turned to Robin. "If she can't open the way for six days…"

Cyborg turned to Robin as well. "We've got to protect Jinx for six days…"

Jinx shook her head. "You don't have to protect me."

Robin disagreed. "Yes we do… you're our way to saving Raven."

…

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat. _**

After her heartbeat, the first thing she became aware of was her skin. It was on fire. The marks of Scath were flaring against her body, her forehead, her arms, her chest and legs, every inch of her body burned with the consequences of her prodigy.

_My face… someone is touching my face… Their fingertips… are cold… it hurts… _

Her mind was awoken. After years of disconnection; the sensation of touch; of warmth, of pain were all the same. What should have been calming was on fire; the feel of touch was torture; all she could feel was the pain of existing.

She should have felt drowsy but she didn't. The return of consciousness was immediate. That was why she felt the full effect. The sting in her cheeks opened her eyes wide.

Raven's eyes opened, the light flooded into her huge irises but she didn't blink. The room became clear to her, the shapes didn't blur on anything, but the concentration sight required made the close up and threatening much more difficult to discern.

Everything about her looked grey and brown. But the earthy feel was nothing close to calming, because she had felt the full treachery of the land. Raven's eyes focused and she saw her face. She looked older; the roundness of her face was changed for sharp plains. Her eyes were the same color; behind them she could see the hint of mischief had been replaced with a glare of deviousness.

"Wake-y, wake-y… eggs and bac-y." Terra's smile was sinister, her tone was patronizing and the gleam in her eyes was evil.

Raven furrowed her brow, sinking her eyelids into a dangerous glare. She could tell from the position of her body that the sting in her cheek had come courtesy of a backhand slap from the leering blue eyed harpy standing over her.

"Terra." Raven sneered.

"Good morning Raven… did you have a good sleep?"

Her body moved by reflex, her hand tried to rise to purge her energy, but the tap on her soul kept the dark energy twirling inside her. Though her heartbeat had calmed, the blood was pounding in her veins and in her ears. Her fingers slowly traced up her stomach to her chest, the drum of her heartbeat pushing and sinking the pads of her fingers for a few seconds before she moved those fingers up again until she encountered what she knew she'd find.

Terra was bold because she wasn't stupid, she was protected. Raven found the chain was still clamped around her neck… but something was different… time had made everything different. Raven wasn't laying on the ground, she was on a bed, more like a cot in the center of a room she didn't recognize.

She could feel from the slow flexing and retracting of her fingers that time had past, a lot of it.

Four years to be exact.

**_Beat Beat Heartbeat. _**

_Stay calm… your heart… you need to stay focused… Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…_

But her heartbeat drummed on, the furious beat forced sweat from her face, her muscles clenching. The strong front was no match for the inevitability her body was submitting to. Her breathing came fast and uncontrolled and as much as she wanted to hide it, her face showed her terror. She was twenty years old and in the strong hold of an enemy that she… and sadly her friends hadn't been able to stop…

And with the portal whirling and opening, letting in three new occupants, Raven knew it was too late to stop any of it.

…

When Jinx said she didn't need the Titans to protect her, she meant it. The half demon had collected an assortment of hexes and spells that could protect the entire tower if she was given enough time and quiet to create them.

Celine and Cyborg watched Jinx press her look-over-me hexes along the base of the tower, the girl was frowning.

"They aren't as strong as I wish they were. This is an incomplete hex skill for me…"

"They'll be good enough. We want to keep off of Blood's radar for as long as possible." Cyborg replied.

"These will only be good for three days… In the meantime, I'll make more."

"But you said they exhaust you. Will you be alright?" Celine asked.

"I'll be better than if Blood catches me…" Jinx replied.

"We won't let that happen Jinx. You can trust me." Cyborg said.

Celine nodded. "Maybe I can help you." The trio entered the tower. Behind them the hexes were taking effect. Titans' Tower was locked under the protection of Jinx's spell: while their friends could access the tower, those with evil intents wouldn't be able to find it.

Jinx had been at the tower for three days: though the second and most of the third day she spent asleep. The half-demon used nearly all of her energy to create a series of hexes and curses that would protect the tower… but she needed Raven's books and scrolls to do it. Robin hadn't liked the idea one bit, to ease his mind Celine and Cyborg, and sometimes BB, stayed with the girl as she generated hexes and stargazing in Raven's room.

When Jinx made it clear to Robin that she had some knowledge of what was happening with Raven and Washu, he demanded she tell him everything she knew.

"Telling you everything would be impossible… there's a lot of things I don't still understand and possibly even more that I don't know." Jinx admitted.

"Just tell me what you **do** know and we'll work from there." Robin said.

Robin, Jinx, Cyborg and Celine sat behind the closed door of Cyborg's room.

"Washu is a servant to the demon king Doomgaze… Doomgaze has invested a great deal of interest in the return of Trigon and has enlisted his own minions and minions of Trigon to bring about Trigon's return."

"Do you know what they're doing and why it's taking so long?" Cyborg asked.

Jinx frowned and turned her head away.

"Jinx, you have to tell us! Is Raven okay? Did they hurt her?" Robin asked.

"No, not hurt… not yet, I don't think."

"You don't think?" Celine asked.

"I don't **think** because I don't **know**… I know their plan for her… but I can't be sure if they've enacted it yet…"

"What have they done to her?" Robin asked.

Jinx shook her head in the negative. "I won't tell you… if it hasn't happened yet, there won't be a reason for you to know… if it has happened… you'll be very much aware of it."

"That's not good enough, Jinx!" Robin yelled, standing from his chair.

"It's not my place to tell you, but if I can, I'll stop it."

"Why do you care what happens to Raven?"

"Because the fate of her life and my brother's are tightly connected. If I can save my brother, you can save Raven…"

"Your brother… is Tetris?" Celine asked.

Jinx nodded. "He's being controlled by Washu and has been for years… but I think there is something here, maybe in Raven's books, that can save him."

"We'll help in anyway we can, but saving Raven takes priority." Cyborg replied.

"I understand."

"This doesn't mean we trust you or that all the history between us is destroyed." Robin said. "If you give us any indication that you're going to double cross us---"

"I don't blame you for not trusting me. I haven't given you any reason to yet except my word… but I can let my actions speak louder."

Robin had reluctantly given Jinx access to Raven's books. He didn't like the idea of her in Raven's room, in their home, because in all the time he had known Jinx, Jinx's handle had always been to hurt or embarrass Raven. It didn't come to him easily that if she could act well enough to fool Brother Blood for years that she couldn't act well enough to fool them for six days. He didn't want to trust her, but if there was any chance she could get them to Raven, Robin was going to take that risk. He entrusted Cyborg and Celine to keep Jinx in sight.

Cyborg was the more constant of a presence; however Jinx and Celine were quickly becoming friends.

"Any experience with hexes?" Jinx asked. The two older girls walked slowly through the corridors, leading back towards the bedroom they were sharing.

On the first day Jinx had walked amongst the Titans, she had walked with Celine past the medic hall and seen Sakura sleeping. Jinx had seemed hesitant and more than slightly upset to see Sakura laying as she was. Speedy watched Jinx watch Sakura. Jinx waved a hand over Sakura's chest and frowned with what she found.

"Do you know something?" Speedy asked.

"This has the stench of Washu's power all over it." Jinx replied.

"Can you…"

Jinx shook her head in the negative. "I don't have that kind of power… Time is the only remedy."

It was one of the reasons Jinx was staying with Celine, was because Sakura wasn't waking up. The other reason was because someone had to watch Jinx and Celine had the only unoccupied bed in the tower. Celine had been able to pull information from Jinx, some of which she was ready to give and other had to be pulled and prodded. Most of the information revolved around Brother Blood.

"Not so much curses," Celine began, answering Jinx's question, "Runes, but they weren't successful."

Jinx nodded. "I remember you… you were Red Hawk."

"I was wondering if you'd recognize me." Celine admitted as she stood over her desk, looking down at the severed halves of her Fire Fly cannon, the weapon that had severed it also lying on the desk.

"It's hard to forget a beating like that." Jinx admitted.

"I took one more than I gave one." Celine replied.

"You almost beat me." Jinx replied.

"But I didn't."

Those years ago, when Red Hawk had entered the eye of the HIVE academy, Jinx was already the star pupil of the headmaster. Red Hawk had wanted to stand exactly where Jinx had, and managed to push her way until she stood toe to toe with Jinx… and Brother Blood had taken great interest to see them fight. Just like Celine wanted him to, but the consequence of getting Blood in her hand was being taken down a peg in his eyes when after nearly two hours of battling, Jinx managed to withstand their collision and Red Hawk hadn't. So Jinx moved closer and something gave Brother Blood the warning to keep an eye on Red Hawk, that eye found her out and drove her away without getting what she had come for.

But with Brother Blood's star pupil sharing secrets and plans with the Titans, Celine might be able to get all the information she needed to finally defeat Blood.

Jinx looked across Celine's side, she was too short to look over Celine's shoulder, and saw the severed weapon and the sword that had severed it. "We had the same plan… But Blood was too smart."

"We'll see about that."

…

Robin went to bed, unable to calm his heartbeat. Something was burning him inside, something close to a fear that he hadn't felt in years. He had been uneasy, yes, for the last few days with Jinx being the person holding his chances to getting Raven back, but this was something more than distrust and nervousness… it was terror and it wasn't coming from him.

_Raven? _

…

Slade watched Raven struggle pathetically against her bonds. Washu stood beside him and Tetris beside him, the full demon watched Raven squirm as well. The half demon under Washu's influence did not see anything.

"Why do you struggle? There is no place for you to go, no place for you to hide… no one to rescue you from your fate. Why not accept what you've known all along? You're going to destroy the world… its written all over your---"

"Stop it! I won't! You can't do this!"

"You're right Raven. **We** can't do anything… all the world's destruction lies within **you**… The marks of Scath indicate every element of your destiny: your power, your fertility, your readiness." Slade replied.

"Come on. Do it… I want to see you break Raven." Terra's older face bore years of hatred focused on the helpless mystic. She had waited for this, she waited for the moment when all of her efforts would come together and break Raven the way she deserved.

"Break her?" Washu asked, looking between the restrained Raven and the manipulated Tetris. "This is the beginning of the grand opportunity. Any daughter you would have bared would be the portal of Trigon... But this child is special. She will fuel Doomgaze and Trigon both for their wars... her creation alone will spark the great power to annihilate the time of mortals."

"What if it's a boy?" Terra asked, flicking her eyes to Tetris.

"Facilitated transfers are precise and always females." Washu replied.

Raven shook her head refusing the hear them talk above her as if she had no chance to stop them. Her mind was attacked; the initial reprieve she had experienced when she regained consciousness was snatched away as Washu made his preparations for bringing about the end of the world.

…

Celine left Cyborg to watch Jinx as the girl genius went to meet with Robin. The Titans' leader had become something more than fidgety since the moment Jinx had revealed that she knew something.

It frustrated them both that she didn't reveal everything. Jinx' knowledge held the future of many things: Raven, Celine's future with the Titans, the future of the world… and Jinx was holding it tightly under look and key.

But something else was bothering Robin, something Celine didn't have the audacity to believe she could comprehend. He walked around the tower in pain, a feeling in his stomach that told him something was wrong. Something with Raven and something he could do nothing about.

Starfire had admitted her worry about Robin and Celine knew she had every justification. The beautiful alien princess watched her best friend pace back and forth, back and forth in the evidence room. He had been pacing for hours, marching past the bulletin board that had been littered for years with testaments of Slade's atrocities, expect now none of them were recent. All of Slade's activities were in the past when Robin had the capacity to stand against him, but now, in the constant burn and howl of the present, Robin couldn't bare to look back because it only added to that sick feeling he felt in the hollow of his stomach.

Starfire watched her friend move, racked with the beginning of fever and dog piled under four years of failures and dead ends. It had taken all of Robin's abilities as a leader to hold their team together, what was left of their team anyways. They weren't the same people any more.

Starfire had seen the future once… and it had looked nothing like this.

BB was handsome, there were new players in their lot, villains were in power and Robin was still Robin: he didn't have the capacity to change, not yet and everyday, every moment of his young life; it was eating away at him.

Star hadn't the authority or the capacity to ease his troubled mind. She loved him, as a brother in arms, as a friend, but nothing more. She had gotten over the heartache of giving him away. She and Robin both knew the pain of loss, but while Starfire could let go, letting go was not an option for her friend and through that narrow divide, Starfire didn't have the capacity to help him.

Celine entered the room, standing beside Star, their shoulders nearly square as they watched the masked hero pace and fight fever.

"Robin, are you alright?" Celine asked.

Robin ignored her, rubbing his head were he stood. He couldn't explain the pain that was running through him, had been running through him for the last few hours. It had started out something so simple as an increased heartbeat, but eventually the pound and drum in his chest was overcast by a tight pain in his head and a panic that made his throat dry. He couldn't explain it. He hadn't felt this terrible in years.

But he had to pull it together… W_e're so close… we've almost got her back… just a few more days… a few more days… _

"Celine, has Jinx put up the hexes for the next few days?" Robin asked.

"No, not yet."

"Take her out to… put them up… Tell Cyborg to check the… network for any sign of Brother Blood."

"Right."

That had been the battle plan and that was the alignment of players in Titans' Tower… when the world ended.

…

Raven watched in horror as Washu turned to Tetris.

She had seen that brutal magic before. The blow struck Tetris in the chest, dead center, directly in his heart. And in the moment that the black coil connected an energy emerged. Tetris' body shook as the dark pink sphere of his life force was pulled from him, his body becoming stiff when the final waves of his spirit were pulled forth.

Washu and the other high members of the Slade Syndicate didn't bother to watch the half-demon's drained body crash to the floor. His gold crown splintered and fell off his head. The gold frame rolled away, over the spill of his dark pink hair. Raven didn't notice either, as Washu approached baring that dark energy.

Raven's eyes widened in panic as Washu hovered over her, his dark eyes and evil power manipulating the energy he had stolen from Tetris. Raven tried to look away, tried to struggle free from her bonds but she couldn't. Her power was conquered.

"This is the energy sire… from this power your daughter will be born…One year from her birth… she will be as you are and on the anniversary of the day you were born… the portal will be torn from her."

Raven's breathing was jagged, her chest rose and fell meeting the crash and drum of her heartbeat. She tried to summon some part of herself, some dark and terrible part, dangerous, furious, anything she didn't care, as long as it was strong. She couldn't let this happen.

"I will have destroyed you long before then…" But the tears were in her eyes and her body refused to let her mind stop the terrible thing it was programmed to do. She heard it in her voice… she couldn't stop it…

And Slade knew it. "How can you hope to protect your daughter when you can't defend yourself?"

Terra watched the tears flow down Raven's cheeks as Washu and Slade continued to torture the mystic with the inevitability of her destiny. The dark power Washu had stolen was no contrast to the beautiful thing he had hunted from Robin, but what Tetris' energy meant satisfied Terra immensely.

_Does it hurt Raven? Does it pain you to know that there's something stronger than you? Something better than you? How long before you remember that this is from what I did to you? Because I'll remember every day… _

"Today, you're going to be a demon bride. We'll tie you to the portal and forever link you as the wife to the gates of Hell and eternity" Washu declared.

"No, you can't…"

Slade shook his head in amusement. "Of course I can dear girl. Have you ever known me not to get exactly what I want?"

Raven's eyes narrow and for a second she could feel her dark energy growing. The quick stab of pain in her head dropped sweat into her eyes and down her cheeks like tears. "You will get exactly what you have coming to you."

Slade nodded. "So it seems."

And then the words stopped.

Washu stepped forward again, once more and leaned over Raven. He raised the energy before their eyes, before lowering his hand over her stomach. The energy coiled and flexed as if it were a living breathing thing. The power responded to Raven's energy.

Most women couldn't resist a Transient for more than five seconds…

Raven lasted thirty.

…

"Endari Ende Mortix."

The thin slips of paper stiffed with each of the cursed words. Celine watched, as the wind pulled her hair into her face. She raised a single slender hand to block the delicate red strands from falling into her vision. Jinx flung the hexes forward as if they were an ace and king of spades in a hand of blackjack. The papers cut through the air, stiff and guided to stick to the panels on either side of the door to Titans' tower.

"They'll last another three days… just long enough before I can open the Wahan passage. I hope I'm not too late."

"Too late for what Jinx?"

"I can't say."

"You can and I wish you would. You know something Jinx, you know a lot more than just where Raven is and what's happening to her… what you know… we need to know."

Jinx shook her head in the negative. "Knowing what I know will not give you any peace of mind, Celine. Trust me."

"I want to Jinx, but you have to give us something… do you see the way this is tearing Robin apart? Even if it's only three more days… we can't go on knowing that there is more to know."

"Did you know that in the language of my home world both Celine and Robin mean the same thing?" Jinx asked, ready to change the subject.

"No, I didn't." Celine replied, prepared to play along.

Jinx nodded. Celine frowned when Jinx didn't give anymore.

"Are you going to tell me what it means?" Celine finally asked.

"Slated for destruction!"

…

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**_

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**_

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**_

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**_

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**_

…

Celine moved just fast enough to push Jinx out of the way and clear herself from danger as Brother Blood dropped his weight into the earth. The land cracked and shattered beneath the force of his kick. Jinx's eyes widened at the pothole Blood's foot created, blanching at the thought that the strike was meant for her head.

Celine pulled Jinx to her feet, keeping her body between Jinx's and Blood's. As silly as it seemed to her to do, Celine balled her fists and took an offensive martial arts stance. Jinx's eyes widened: _there's no way she's considering…_

"Jinx, get inside the tower!" Celine demanded, not looking back at the shorter fighter.

"Are you insane? You can't beat Blood!" Jinx replied, not ready to abandon her friend.

"I don't need to beat him. I just need to keep you safe. Get inside!"

"No! There's no way I can---"

Brother Blood interrupted their argument with a spinning strike. Celine pushed Jinx backwards, raising an arm to block Blood's next shot.

"Get inside Jinx! Tell Cyborg to initiate the Tower Lockdown: Code 0-1."

Celine pivoted herself to defend against Blood's attack, but the superior fighter found an opening and delivered a brutal kick to her midsection. The long haired woman staggered back, dropping into a crouch. She held her bruised middle with one arm, the other keeping her from falling flat to the ground.

"Jinx! Go! Initiate the lock down! I'll be fine, but if you get hurt we lose Raven! I'll risk getting a beating, but I will not risk losing this opportunity!"

"And neither will I!" Blood leapt forward and delivered a straight jab that knocked Celine the final distance to the ground. When her back struck the ground, she was relieved to hear the door to the tower open and shut and at the same time able to hear Brother Blood's footsteps approach her.

_Jinx is in the tower… Vic will initiate the lockdown… All I've got to do now… is survive…_

Celine pulled herself to her feet. She staggered, she wasn't meant for hand to hand combat. _But life was doing things you're not good at_. Her fists readied again, her high heeled boots sunk into the soil.

Blood looked her up and down, that smile of absolute knowledge was pulled against his features… and when Celine recognized that look, she realized that Brother Blood hadn't come after Jinx…

He was after her… her life… to destroy her… just as he had Red Hawk…

And she had given it to him. Celine frowned. Blood had outsmarted her again.

Brother Blood seemed proud of himself as he stared the Titan genius up and down. Somewhere, in the discovery of not one, not two, not three, but four spies in his mitts, Brother Blood had gone mad. Though domination through manipulation was still his main objective, destroying the four traitors, one by one, was a satisfaction he would not deny himself.

Blood's impatience won out and the skilled martial artist sprung forward. Celine dropped just low enough to absorb most of the blow with her crossed arms. Her feet moved as Blood did, letting her wrists and forearms take the extent of his attacks. The way Blood moved was menacing, he wasn't trying to beat her; he was trying to tear her down, inch by inch, blow by blow.

Brother Blood was simply a better fighter than Celine. It didn't take long to beat her. Celine struggled as Blood wrenched her arm behind her back. She could feel his leer as his face leaned in.

"You're the second half in my first of many… do you know what it feels like to trust those closest to you, those who you gave your absolute all to… only to have them use your skills, your knowledge, your abilities against you?" Blood's voice made Celine sick. The answer to his question burned in her throat. She knew that he already knew the answer: he knew that the question would send fire inside her and that was what he wanted. He wanted to destroy her when she was burning the way he was.

He might have gotten her to burn… but he couldn't beat her… not if Cyborg had anything to say about it.

Blood's eyes opened wide when he heard the battle cry of his number one nemesis. Both Celine and Blood looked up in time to see Cyborg descend upon them with an arm thrown back to deliver a hammering punch. Blood smiled and tossed Celine aside, giving him enough time and leverage to prepare a block. Cyborg's massive arm crashed against Brother Blood's defenses. The cybernetic hero knew it had to hurt Blood to take that shot, but the leer on Blood's face showed pleasure not pain.

The stare down kept Celine's attention even as Jinx helped her to her feet. She wanted to yell at Jinx to get back into the tower, to stand back with the others, but somehow she knew, from the way Cyborg glared at his nemesis and the way Blood leered at all three of them, that Jinx was supposed to be there. Jinx pressed something into Celine's palm, not looking Celine in the eye as she did.

"You might want this." She said softly, her eyes trained on Brother Blood.

Celine looked down at it, clenching the weapon tightly in her hand. She took a step out of Jinx's space and held Red Hawk's sword firmly at her side.

"Once again, three of my most talented students are standing before me… but this time, they're showing their true faces… Is that what it takes? Showing up at your home? Because you're all obviously willing to put on masks in mine!"

Cyborg trained his sonic cannon, the massive weapon charging as the air passed. "We aren't your students. We're the good guys."

Blood took a stance. "No matter what you want to say, the truth is the truth. All three of you were my students; you came to me to become a part of me…" His eyes shifted to Jinx. "My best," his eye shifted to Celine "My most brilliant" then finally back to Cyborg "and my favorite, the one who had the most potential. Cyborg, you came to me and I gave you the best of what I had."

Blood dashed forward. Cyborg unleashed a frenzy of sonic shots, but Blood moved swiftly between them. Cyborg watched with great focus as Blood leaped into the air for an attack. He smiled coolly when Jinx delivered a drop kick that knocked Blood off balance. The expert gymnastic tumbled and recovered, setting her feet to stand side by side with Cyborg. Blood pulled himself up; his insanity was beginning to morph his features.

"Jinx! You were just a sniveling little girl before I nursed all your powers! And this is how you repay me?"

Jinx and Cyborg stood tall side by side.

"With all your power, Brother Blood, you never saw everything we could do… your best offered us nothing!" Cyborg replied.

"NOTHING! You called the ability to rule the world nothing?"

"Brother Blood, you couldn't even control your school." Jinx replied.

"You will pay for your insolence! All of you will pay!"

Celine turned her head just in time to witness the approach. They were all coming, all of them… every single student in the HIVE academy. The red haired genius took a step backwards before realizing that that move didn't put her anymore out of danger. She had the wrong weapon, her back was to Brother Blood and the HIVE academy was approaching…

Brother Blood stood up fully, dusting off his arms. "Now look… here come all my **good** children to teach all the bad ones a lesson."

"Jinx." Cyborg said firmly. The pink haired demon nodded. "Right." Cyborg sprung forward and Jinx tumbled backwards. The ensuing fight between Blood and Cyborg would have been one Celine would have liked to watch, but the path of Jinx, meeting the HIVE academy was one that demanded her attention.

Jinx's back flips and flip flops threw her body between Celine's and the incoming HIVE academy. Her eyes took on their terrible pink glow. With a swing of her hand, echo waves were purged and dashed through the air. The pink energy bolts cut down the approaching fighters, but more and more replaced the fallen and all of Jinx's spins and slashes couldn't keep them away.

Side by side Celine and Jinx readied their feet for the combat that was coming.

Cyborg ducked under Blood's attack and delivered a fierce uppercut, knocking the HIVE Headmaster into the door of Titans' tower. Cyborg ran forward with an arm drawn back when he heard the pitiful cry. He turned his head just in time to see a charge from Mammoth lay out Jinx as a hook from Private Hive knocked Celine to the ground. The whole of the HIVE academy circled the two fallen girls.

Immediately he turned and prepared to charge, but Brother Blood had other ideas. He snuck in behind the cybernetic hero and delivered a wrenching jab just under Cyborg's arm, his fingers furrowing deeply and severing connections. Cyborg's eyes widened in shock just as he dropped to the ground in surprise.

"How did you?"

"I might as well have built you for everything I know about you… and with everything I know I will tear you apart!"

Blood dashed forward to capitalize. A green energy bolt knocked him away. Cyborg lifted his head and saw the Titans' descend into the fray. Robin unleashing a blizzard of exploding disks as a massive tidal wave slammed into the backline of HIVE students. Tameranian powerhouses cleared the way, allowing a green gorilla to pull Celine and Jinx to safety.

Celine clenched her weapon firmly and the same moment Jinx stood up as well. The two didn't even look back as they joined Cyborg in taking down Blood. Beast Boy and Starfire both watched for the two join the fight before the green eyed pair turned to the battle taking the attention of the rest of the Titans.

Two distinct battles waged on. The odds were the same in both, three against one, while good outmatched evil in the smaller circle, the greater Titans force were greatly outnumbered. But not out matched.

HIVE students fell left and right as eye beams, bo-staffs and drop kicks flew through the air with years of trained accuracy. There was something to this fight, something more intense then any of them could claim. This fight was one step closer to the thing they all wanted: winning this fight would destroy the second to last thing standing in the way of them getting Raven back.

Starfire grabbed Robin's arm and spun him in a powerful circle, his long legs lashed out in a tornado, catching Gizmo, See-more, Private Hive and Mammoth in the completed circle, taking down the last standing in the HIVE academy's army…

Behind them, Jinx, Celine and Cyborg moved to take away the General of that army. Jinx parried Blood's strike, catching his leg under her arm. Cyborg dove in, his massive sonic blast crashed into Blood, hurling him to the ground. The master mentalist crumbled, landing on his back. His body was beaten; his insanity had crumbled his skills.

Celine's blade against his neck called his defeat. Cyborg moved forward and so did Jinx. The three stared down at their antithesis.

"Your game is through, Brother Blood."

"And not a minute too soon." Celine said.

Beast Boy approached, keeping his green eyes trained on his best friends. "You did it."

Celine nodded. "I'll communicate with Bumble Bee to give a message to Colonel Fletcher… Blood has been secured… this is my resignation state."

Beast Boy smiled wildly. "Then you can stay with the Titans for good."

Celine nodded. "That's the plan."

"Then we need to get this guy to the AGU."

Beast Boy snapped his fingers. "I can contact Mento, I'm sure he's strong enough to resist Brother Blood's mind control."

Celine pulled Red Hawk's sword back from the defeated Brother Blood. For the first time in years, Celine smiled, genuinely smiled. _This moment took nearly six years of my life to achieve._

It took one moment to take away. Celine turned her head to confirm Beast Boy's plan and the second her weapon was no longer an imminent threat on Brother Blood, he capitalized. The surprise gave him advantage. Brother Blood leapt forward from the ground, the speed of his jump kick smashed a dent into Cyborg's chest plate. The mechanical crime fighter stumbled back in surprise as Jinx and Celine gasped in shock. That shock allowed Blood to move freely, turning a spin kick that connected with Celine's head, knocking her to the ground. As she fell the distance to the earth, she could hear Jinx scream and the roar of a green beast. Red Hawk's sword clamored to the ground beside her head, the runes to stop Bad Blood failing once again.

…

"So he got away again?" Bumble Bee asked as she looked down at her best friend. BB was still holding an ice pack to the genius' cheek as Celine held another one against her chin.

Bumble Bee had arrived a few hours after Cyborg's transmission. Blood had gotten away, but not before imposing some last traces of his villainous will. The medic room was congested: Robin, Cyborg, BB, Celine, and Bumble Bee crowded around the hospital bed that held Jinx.

Diagnostic machines bleeped and hissed, all the outputs suggested life with injury. What most of them had seen was a testament to that. While BB had morphed, Brother Blood had delivered a psychic wave that crashed into Jinx's mind. Beast Boy's Beast Within had chased Blood away, but the damage had been done.

Cyborg frowned as the outputs ran inconclusive. "Blood got in there… probably trying to erase all she knows."

"Or just to do damage. He was insane." Celine replied, pushing the ice pack away from her cheek.

"We've got to get her to recover."

BB tightly gripped the ice pack in his hands, careful not to explode it. "In three days the way opens."

Robin nodded. "We will not miss our window… Celine, do what you can for her."

Celine tightened her features and nodded.

"No," Cyborg interjected. The open eyes in the room turned to look at him. He was obviously concerned for Jinx. "I'll handle Jinx. You guys just make sure we're ready."

Celine didn't argue, so Robin and Beast Boy didn't either. Bumble Bee went with the Titans' leader to catch up with as much as she could.

That night Beast Boy had a sneaking suspicion that if he didn't check on Celine, that he'd never believe again that she was okay. If he was honest with himself, Celine meant more to him than just his best friend. She always had. There was something about her that made Beast Boy feel like he was needed, not just important, not just wanted, but that there was someone in the universe who trusted him to stand beside them.

It never ceased to amaze him how strong and vulnerable Celine was and had been for years. She didn't cry, she didn't break, she let all the Titans lean on her and never dared to make them responsible for her well-being. It was selfish and it was the one thing Beast Boy both admired and disliked about her. Beast Boy was there for her to lean on, but she never had. When the world crashed down on the Titans, Celine was willing to stand and take the brunt of the blows. Beast Boy couldn't be sure if it was his fault or hers that she never shared that burden.

Beast Boy reached Celine's secondary work station and found that the door was open. Only one light was on even though it was well into midnight and the moon was missing. The only light source she was relying on was the glow of one of her computers. Her scouter was over her eye and her tool kit was opened and spread out around.

Every since the first Blood attack, Celine had been repairing her Firefly. Her fight that afternoon had only proved to her how dependant she was on it; that she couldn't defend herself with her fists or her sword gave her haste to repair her primary weapon.

Beast Boy watched her silently. She was more focused than he had ever remembered seeing her. Usually she noticed the second he entered the room, even when he was as small as a fly. But she didn't see him, didn't see anything…

And that was why there was someone there to see Celine cry.

She twisted the screws tightly with the screw driver in her left hand as the right held the barrel of the severed weapon. A trail of sweat fell into her eye and the moment she let it bother her, her left hand slipped, twisting her wrist, causing her to drop the screw driver. She looked ready to curse, her fingers flexed in frustration before she reached forward and retrieved the tool. She didn't try to finish the job, it seemed to Beast Boy that a current ran through her that took away all her will. She pushed her still fractured weapon off her lap, dropped the screwdriver then dropped her face into her hands.

It took Beast Boy a few seconds to realize what he was seeing. He had never seen her cry before, she had told him that she didn't cry and he had believed her. From the pitiful sight it made, he knew she wasn't emotionally prepared for it.

She was the smarted woman in the world… but she was still a woman, she was fragile, she was hurt… and she needed him.

"Celine." His voice was almost a whisper, he wasn't sure if it carried to her ears until her head shoot up from her hands. Her face at that moment was terrified and in pain. Beast stepped forward and the older girl frantically wiped her face with her hands. The tears smeared along her features. It only made her look more vulnerable.

"Oh, Beast Boy… do you need something?"

Beast Boy shook his head and knelt in front of her.

"I'm not going to ask you if you're okay… it's the only thing that you lie to me about."

"What?" Celine whispered.

"Even if you won't tell me what's wrong… I can still help… It's okay to cry, Celine."

Celine rubbed her cheek with the material of her sleeve. "I'm not crying."

She tried to look into his eyes, to tell him not to worry about her. But the moment she saw those green eyes, she couldn't lie to him. It had been years since she met Beast Boy and even then she knew that there was much more to his intelligence than he was ever going to communicate. He was sensitive; it was one of the reasons why she always had to protect him, because fragility like that was something to be cherished, because it came with innocence. But he didn't want her to protect him, he wanted her to trust him not to break…

Sometime ago Celine realized she could deny him nothing.

"Celine, talk to me."

"This is all my fault…" Celine finally said. "I was stupid. I let my guard down and he got away… and Jinx is hurt and who knows what damage he's caused? I'm supposed to be the smarted woman in the world and all I do is make mistakes."

Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder. "That's not true."

"Yes it is! I've measured the last few years in failure… my father was right."

Beast Boy grabbed her shoulders and made her look up at him. From the floor he was taller than her, instead of eye to eye as they had become over the last few years. His voice was strong, though his eyes seemed ready to break. They looked the way Celine felt inside and it burned her even more to know that she had caused that look. Even as those eyes shook, Beast Boy remained strong, he was willing to be strong enough for both of them. "Don't say that! Your father doesn't know anything about you."

"Yes, he does. He's the first to make me see there's a limit to my genius and I've proved it! I can pull a treacherous…" Celine groaned when she couldn't think of a good enough curse word. "from a stone prison… I can make super computers, build bridges, I can do a million insignificant things… but when it really matters I can't help my best friends. All I do is cause more problems…"

Beast Boy honestly didn't know what to say. _How have we let this happen? Everyday she gives it all she's got… and she asks absolutely nothing back… and that's what we give her… _Celine's tears came rushing down her checks. Beast Boy hushed her, cupping her face in his hands. The tears trailed over his thumbs and for the first time in a long time he didn't see the go-to super genius that they all relied on, he saw a twenty one year old Titan who was terrified of not being good enough, when she had done more for them then she'd ever know.

As gently as he could, Beast Boy pressed Celine's face into his shoulder and let her cry. He rubbed her back, rubbed her hair, waited for her to calm down. Eventually the tears stopped, but Beast Boy didn't let her go. He picked her up, cradling the tall girl in his arms and took her out of her control room and carried her down the hall to her bedroom. He laid her down gently and she didn't resist. She turned her head to the side and Beast Boy saw something so tragic that it hurt him to breath.

He watched her close her eyes, watched her fall asleep before wiping the last tear from her eye. He left her to sleep and went to find Cyborg.

He found the Titan sitting over Jinx's bed the way Speedy did with Sakura, the way Beast Boy had done just moments before with Celine. His face was straight with a frown, his human eye looked heavy with worry or something equally complicated.

Beast Boy stepped forward and didn't think about what to say and what he saw. He just needed Cyborg to know the truth.

"Celine needs you." He said simply.

"Can it wait?" Cyborg asked.

"It's waited long enough." Beast Boy sighed deeply. "I know you're worried about Jinx and Raven, but you've got to see how this is breaking Celine's heart that she can't help."

Cyborg seemed to immediately know what BB wanted him to know, but he didn't act the way Beast Boy hoped. Cyborg didn't so much as turn in his chair. "She'll be fine BB. She's way stronger than you'll ever know."

"Strong or not she still needs someone to lean on! She really needs you right now."

"No, she doesn't. She's tough."

Beast Boy marched to the other side of Jinx's bed. Cyborg's eyes rose from Jinx's prone form to his seething best friend. "She just cried herself to sleep! Come on Cy! She's your girlfriend! You're supposed to take care of her!"

Cyborg's brow furrowed as if Beast Boy had said the most ridiculous thing he'd heard in a long time. Cyborg looked Beast Boy dead in the eye and told him something Beast Boy wasn't prepared for. "BB, Celine and I haven't been dating for four years… not since the night before everything happened."

It struck him like a kick in the head. Except all the pain was in his chest. "You mean she's been alone all this time and suffering with no one to turn to?"

Cyborg didn't answer, but Beast Boy didn't stay in the room long enough to hear it if he had one. His feet were dragging as he left the medic room and took the route to his bedroom. _How didn't I know? They're my best friends…_The door to the stairs swung open, but Beast Boy had no memory of the sensation of touch, the touch and the strength needed to open that door. He felt no sensation outside his body, all he could feel was the regret running through him.

_How can I blame her for not trusting us with her feelings… when we… when I didn't even notice something so important… she loved him and for four years she's had to work with him, work on everything with the pain of loss in her face and still she did her best to stay strong for us… and because I was so blind… she had to keep pretending…_

Beast Boy's door opened and slid closed behind him. That terrible burn was generating an ache in his stomach and spreading through him. _I'm a terrible friend for not being there for her… what else have I missed? How hurt is Robin? Starfire? Speedy? They're my friends, my family… _

His back straightened, an image like a movie in slow motion tunneled through his mind. Images: Robin and Raven, Starfire, Blackfire and Aqualad, Celine, Cyborg, Speedy and Sakura, D'ucel, Bumble Bee… and himself… His family.

He was a super hero, he was supposed to protect them all, protect anyone who needed his help… _Being young is no longer an excuse… I've got to become a man… I've got to change so I never let them down again…_

While Beast Boy became a new man, Cyborg sat and waited over Jinx, hoping beyond hope that her memory was not damaged, that she still had all the information and emotions that he and the others were counting on. He took her pale hand in his and waited the way he had seen Speedy do for years.

Jinx stayed unconscious for three days… on the second day, the world ended.

…

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**_

She didn't breath. She refused the beat, beat heartbeat in her chest. The sweat rolled into her eyes and in a moment of weakness she blinked and Tetris' demon seed sunk in. Her scream echoed the flex and rage of her energy. The display was terrifying: the full breadth of Raven's demonic heritage spiraled around them in a fury that pained Terra's eyes to see. The blonde girl stepped back in fear. Washu and Slade did not. Tendrils of her energy snake out, twisting as it shot from her body. The rays of energy radiated from her charka, one snaked and dove, smashing into Terra. The blue eyed girl was frozen in shock as her body was hurled across the room. She slammed ruthlessly into the stone, her head snapping back. Her eyes took a feral glow, turning the blonde girl's expression from surprise to hate.

Four eyes erupted into a furious red glare. The room flashed dark and light as Raven's energy spiraled and clouded the room. Her life energy pulsed and pulsed, sending tremors through the walls. A sickness conquered her body and for a horrible moment Raven knew what death was. The energy sunk back into her, the finally traces of the life energy of Laseri, the sire of Doomgaze seeped into her. Her eyes closed: the innocence of her body just a memory.

There beneath the watching eyes of a satisfied Slade Syndicate, Raven did something she hadn't done in four years… She slipped into Nevermore.

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat_**

End of Part Six


	46. FarCry Part Seven

FarCry

Part Seven

"Don't touch me." Raven demanded.

And the bruised girl obeyed. Raven sat on her knees letting the tears rack her body. Her long hair fell over her shoulders in a frenzy that could have been beautiful if that moment wasn't so terrible. She was sure she could feel it, the hot burn in her stomach that was creating a life. Her whole body was on fire, but she knew it was all starting there. The last traces of Laseri were spilling into her, demanding that she provide it shelter, that she become a mother to it.

KnowledgE's hand was bruised and so was the rest of her character, but Raven couldn't see it. She couldn't see anything through the tears running down her face. _How could I have done nothing? Nothing to stop this? What had the years of mediation and practice and conditioning meant if her body was just going to betray me when I needed to be strongest… why had no one told me the truth?_

Her heartbeat echoed over the collapsed landscape of Nevermore. For four years Raven had been unable to manage the flux and flow of power in her mind.

_I couldn't control anything…_

The ground was grey, not from the lack of light or the natural disposition of her nature, but from lack of **life**. There had always been something growing in seeds across the landscape of her mind, but Raven hadn't been there to tend any of that growth and everything that tried to set seed died. The air, what could be called air; because Raven could hold her breath for a million years and not die of asphyxiation in Nevermore; that atmosphere was caught in a haze that matched the dismal future.

The shapes of her, the fragments of her existence were surrounding her, all but KnowledgE were too afraid to come close. TimiD was bleeding, JoY was collapsed on the floor, beyond the dulled yellow of KnowledgE's cloak was the apparition of SORroW who seemed strong enough to stand on her own, but didn't have the will to do so. Every weak part of her mind, the happiness, the fragility, was beaten and all the parts that made her strong, expect KnowledgE, were missing.

In Raven's circle of wounds and tears she hadn't seen BravE and she hadn't found HOPE. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders and across her cheeks, blocking out most of what there was to see. She didn't have to look down to see the pink life energy that was swimming around her body, trying to become a part of her. She could feel the heat of it as it flexed and rebounded against her natural energy. She could close her eyes as tightly as she pleased, but that glowing energy spiral ran across her eyes like a record.

Raven saw KnowledgE, saw that all of the features of her mind were crammed together; the meeting way of Nevermore had become a terribly crowded place.

The severity varied, but one thing was the same between KnowledgE, DespaiR, JoY and all the other sides of her, they were all suffering from something born within Raven's mind.

"Did you know? Did any of you know?" Raven's voice was dark, the fragile elements of her mind seemed to catch glimpses of four red eyes within her face. They were terrified with the display and only KnowledgE, that part highly trusted in their society, stepped forward to answer her.

"Gape Non Hy Yeh Wan." (We couldn't have known.)

"Someone had to! Someone had to know! If Washu could know---"

"Giu Lihen Watu Watun Asape Paora Pan." (The answers you seek are not here.)

Raven turned her head to the voice, the voice in her personality that she trusted more than anything. The tears didn't dry from Raven's eyes as she took in the sight of BravE. She was bruised, all of her identity was, but BravE was standing taller than any other part… despite the weight holding her down.

Raven didn't want to believe what she was seeing. Her huge eyes could only take in the bruised features of BravE before her gaze traveled down into the burden she carried within the protective cradle of her arms.

"HOPE?"

Raven walked forward, walked past JoY and KnowledgE to stand toe to toe with BravE and look down at the fragile little girl in her arms. Every piece of Raven was damaged, but HOPE looked broken. HOPE's long hair was matted; locks pulled free of her long braid and were held in her face with sweat. Her breathing was labored, but Raven knew that that small apparition didn't need air, so the dramatic rise and fall in her chest was a sign of much deeper injury.

The little girl hadn't grown, not a single inch, in the four years Raven had been locked away from her mind. Raven hadn't been conscious to feed her the energy the small fragile thing needed to become stronger, to become a part of her the way BravE and KnowledgE had.

But it was more than not getting what she needed to grow… it was something tearing away at what she had.

"In the four years that you've been held away from us… things were not static." KnowledgE admitted.

Raven's eyes were cloudy as her hand reached out to touch HOPE's face. The small girl's skin was burning with fever; her eyes weren't focused even though they were looking at Raven.

"We could only do so much without your aid… Washu freed RAGE when he split your psyche to put you to rest."

"Though in truth, RAGE was splintering away from you long before Washu made the attack on you…" BravE seemed to take on the character traits of TimiD, but she proceeded with the sentence that Raven already knew she would complete. "HOPE was wounded at the same moment Robin was."

Despite knowing what BravE would say, she knew it before BravE had thought to say it, the pain struck at Raven like a death nail. Robin had his life snatched away, just as she had seen it done to Laseri tu Tetris¹. In moments, even though a span of four years had passed in reality, Raven had lost everything she wanted: Robin, love, a happy future… and she had **convinced** herself it was **possible**. She had made herself believe that letting Robin hold her heart in his hands would remove all the traces of her demonic legacy; that somehow she wouldn't become what she was born to do…

The tragedy of birthing hope was to have it snatched away…

"It was a mistake for me to trap RAGE… if I had the power of destruction within me to use… this would have never happened." Raven whispered.

"That isn't true." KnowledgE replied.

"And what do you know? All the mistakes I made, all of them were because I listened to you!"

"I only know what you know, nothing more. It is no fault of your own that the truth was withheld from you… but the consequences will be your fault if you do not act." KnowledgE answered.

"Act? What is there for me to do?"

"Lethe Giyo Arix Moinmi Raha." (Do not be afraid.)

Raven's eyes widened, her gaze falling back to the weak little girl who spoke. Raven stepped closer and took HOPE from BravE's arms. She held the tiny character; her weight was nearly nothing to Raven's arms.

"HOPE, don't speak. Please save your strength."

"I am sorry… I could not escape her. I tried to be strong like BravE for you."

"Hush. Please don't say anything else." Raven gripped the small girl to her body. The cloak that once had shined with a blinding gold was dingy and dull.

Those characters that were strong enough to stand came to circle around her. BravE and KnowledgE stepped closer, but Raven could only feel them, she didn't dare to look away from HOPE.

Behind their heads they could hear the echo and clap of tremendous energy. It was a fury that Raven had never fully tapped into, had she, in many moments of the past, she might have been able to crush Washu, beat Slade and destroy Terra Nostra… but she had always been to afraid to use that power, for fear that it would take over her and eliminate all her chances for a wonderful future.

Raven touched her forehead to that of HOPE. She could tell the small entity was dying… _What chances now do I have for a wonderful future? What is there left for me to lose?_

"RAGE is lurking. She is feeding on your desperation and taking away all that makes you strong. She will take over all of it: myself, BravE, JoY… every memory, every trace of doubt, every potential future. If you do not fight her… she will take away everything… RAGE will consume you." KnowledgE declared firmly.

"Why shouldn't I let RAGE consume me?"

"Because HOPE will be destroyed." BravE replied. "And not just in you…"

Raven's body shook with tremors as BravE's words struck her heart. In her arms she could feel HOPE become nothing, becoming an intangible thing; some tiny figment of her imagination.

"I'm sorry… that we won't have more time to play." HOPE whispered as she, too, was resigning herself to her fate. She may have been only a small child, but she had all the elements of Raven: knowledge, bravery, joy, sadness, sorrow and at the moment bravery within HOPE was struggling against the endless pull of inevitability.

"Do not say such things… you are strong and I will need you to stay strong for me in the future."

"She's coming." TimiD whispered and ran with DespaiR and JoY to hide.

All the parts of her mind were scattering and Raven could feel the huge shadow of RAGE as she approached. Raven closed her eyes, breathing in deeply as the weight of HOPE was becoming unstable. When her eyes opened, she stood and turned back to BravE and KnowledgE. The yellow caped character stepped forward and gently took HOPE and with BravE they prepared to hide.

Raven didn't have time to pull up her hood or push back her hair when the first blow was struck.

…

When Jinx got up, she wasted no time telling the Titans what it was going to take to get them into the Syndicate's den and to get Raven out.

The pink haired demoness fanned out a collection of paper hexes. "These are my look-over-me hexes. It will allow us to sneak by any entity without superior mental capacities. It won't work on Washu, but it should keep us invisible to any lackies that are safeguarding the cave… I had to save my strength, so I couldn't make enough for everyone."

"That's alright Jinx." Robin said, putting a hand out to reject the hexes. "I think we all want to be seen."

Jinx frowned, tucking the guards back into her sleeve. "I don't know the route to the safe guard… and I don't know what we'll find when we get into the Wahan cave."

"We will find Raven." Starfire decided.

"And if we find Slade or Terra?" Cyborg asked.

"There's no **if** about it," Robin said. "We're going to find them and they are going to pay for everything they've done."

The team nodded and Jinx turned to lead the way. But something was missing. Celine frowned when she counted off the traveling members of the team.

"Robin, Star, Jinx, Cyborg, Aqualad er Tempest, Blackfire, D'ucel… Speedy and Bee are staying back with me… Where's Beast Boy?"

"Yeah… I haven't seen BB in three days." Cyborg added.

"And you'll never see him again."

The Titans turned to that familiar voice. They knew him, but at the same time, this face of him was different. His purple shirt was tucked into the waistband of his dark grey shorts. The fabric looked like leather, especially against the contrast of his dark grey gloves and the dark brown boots that were partially hidden by the legs of his shorts. The straps on his boots wound up to the cuff of his shorts, the dark brown of the straps played out the contrast. In the dead center of his purple shirt, over his chest was a lion's paw that looked menacing in its deep black etching.

His dark green hair against his green skin reflected the handsomeness in his face. The razor shaped spikes of hair seemed to defy gravity as they fanned out across his back. His smile was cool, his outfit was hot and more than one Titan raised an eye in intrigue.

"So I guess you've changed your name then?" Cyborg asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

His smile widened, exposing his teeth, as he tightened the glove on his right hand. He nodded.

"Well come on then! What are we supposed to call you?" Tempest asked.

"Beast King."²

"That's actually pretty cool." Robin admitted.

"I thought so too."

"Beast King huh? BK doesn't have the same ring as BB, but I'll get used to it." Cyborg replied.

"Good, because this is who I am now." Beast King replied.

"It's about time we showed the Syndicate who we all are." Celine added.

"A force to be reckoned with!" Blackfire stated.

"A friendship that cannot be broken!" Starfire added.

"Champions!"

"Heroes!"

"Family!"

"Titans! Go!"

…

Her dark energy spun out, lashing at the red clad character after her life. Raven purged her demonic heritage, flying around the endlessness of her mind. Their fists met. Raven's feet planted into RAGE's chest. RAGE scratched and clawed.

RAGE grabbed Raven's free long hair, pulling it into a painful grip. The hold swung the master mystic off-balance. The purple eyed girl was helpless as RAGE pulled her forward. Those purple eyes widened in surprise as RAGE unleashed an energy blast from the center of her charka. Raven grunted. RAGE didn't release her grip on Raven's hair. She used the long locks as a lever and spun her opponent in a half circle before letting her go. Raven's back crashed into one of the shambled pillars that had held RAGE before. The dusk kicked up around her feet.

Raven's breathing was hard and fast. The sound of her chest rising and falling was harsh and painful. Raven put a hand up to balance herself. RAGE watched her with cruel fascination. Around Raven the sire of Laseri's energy was still coiling, trying to make a connection with every part of Raven's being. The sight of that tight pink energy weaving around Raven made RAGE's face twist into a heinous smile.

Raven purged an energy blast, striking RAGE and hurling her off the ledge of the canyon. Her gift of flight let her keep level and the two stared at each other: hate a common theme in their eyes.

They dove in at each other. Raven's two eyes stared down into RAGE's four as their hands locked in a struggle. RAGE's teeth were bared. Raven grimaced. RAGE's nails pinched the skin between Raven's fingers. The fire in RAGE's eyes magnified the angry red way both their bodies had begun to glow. The marks of Scath were flaring against Raven's skin. From the leer on RAGE's face, she couldn't have been happier.

"Soon the world will feel the depth of our demon sire! The marks of Scath will scourge the land and all traces of hope will be erased from the universe!" RAGE gritted out.

"I won't let you take hope away from me!"

RAGE felt the shift far too late to do anything about it. Raven dropped her weight towards the ground, off-balancing the furious state of herself. It gave her just enough leverage to pull a single hand free from RAGE's grasp. Her fist balled, the terrible might of her energy pooled between her fingers, sliding over her wrist and knuckles. A short battle cry was all RAGE would have as a warning as Raven unleashed her power.

The blow knocked RAGE again over the chasm, but this time Raven didn't meet the stare of RAGE… she saw something infinitely more frightening…

In KnowledgE's arms, HOPE had died.

…

The wind was hushed. It was as if Robin had controlled it and made it move aside in such a way that the natural generation of sound was mixed and muted with the roaring engine of the R-Cycle. Robin didn't hear a thing. Even though his heartbeat drummed in him like a mad beast, the world around him was silent.

To his right a green cheetah dashed at its maximum speed against the sparkling haze of the desert. Each lash forward of each independent limb kicked dirt up and back, to be lost into the silent air. The T-car held Jinx in the passenger seat; Tempest, the Titan formally known as Aqualad, was in the back and Cyborg was behind the wheel. Stacks of hexes and cursed words were held steady in the sleeve of the pink haired sorcerer. The wheels of the vehicle jumped and crushed rocks beneath its weight, but there was no sound.

Even though her hair was pushed, Starfire wasn't sure that there was air around any of them. Her body, her sister's body, the body of Tameran's champion, cut through the twilight desert atmosphere. To their rights the sun was rising to mark the day.

In a pack they traveled, their identities were hidden in the profile of the sunrise against the coral colored mountains. But it didn't matter. At that moment they weren't Robin, they weren't Starfire, they weren't Beast King, Tempest, Cyborg, D'ucel, Jinx or Blackfire: they were Titans, moving forward against the will of demon kings to get back what was theirs: their friend, their love, their hope.

…

She felt it, but she had no idea where it had come from. Her power had limits, but she hadn't realized them yet… somehow the shattering of something so beautiful and wanted had awakened something more terrible in Raven's soul than any other tragedy she had ever faced.

BravE's fingers flexed and shifted as HOPE's body failed to remain a solid energy. Both KnowledgE and BravE watched the tiny life force shift and scatter, generating a glorious gold energy, remnant of the girl's shining cloak when Raven first allowed her creation. In the corners of her eyes, Raven could see the spiraling energy gate that marked the loss of HOPE in her spirit.

And with that loss came the loss of control in Raven's anger.

RAGE should have been fed from the horrific power exploding from every inch of Raven's mind. The other apparitions of Raven's being cowered as the canyon floors began to rip and give away. But RAGE didn't move. The cliff that had served as a platform under Raven fell apart and fell down into a nothingness that could not be measured. Raven floated, locked in the hex of her father's symbols, her eyes glowing in a red that made the marks seem dull.

Raven seemed to walk on air. Her legs moved forward as if there was an invisible platform guiding her steps to RAGE. With every drop of her foot RAGE felt a punishing blow to her body: her chest, her head; she felt like she was kicked in the stomach, felt like a million of Raven's dark attacks were slamming into her from all sides…

And they were… Raven's power had become so dark, that even the menacingly sensitive RAGE couldn't see them.

BravE looked up from the spiraling energy that had become of HOPE as the woman to whom she was tied to exercised the greatest outreach of her power.

Raven's hand rose from her side. Laseri's energy was still twisting around her middle, but it seemed lost in the maelstrom of vicious black energy born from the hate, fear and sorrow in Raven's mind. Her long hair was thrown around her, her blue cloak fanned out behind her, her mouth was a straight line before she parted her lips and sealed RAGE's fate.

"AZARATH FAERIDOS REX!"³

It first seemed that all the energy was crashing brutally into Raven, as if the spell had been chanted incorrectly and the punishment was spell reversal. But past the few initial seconds of doubt, it became obvious that the spell was simply finding its epicenter at the pulse point of the most powerful magic in the realm. The black and gray and dark blue might spun like fans, rebounding and crashing against itself, pooling and becoming a spiraling ray of energy that spun up and out from Raven's arm. It took only one extended arm, with the fingertips pointed at her victim, for Raven to expel the most powerful arsenal of her magic; the uncontrollable force of desperation, anger and righteousness… to send it thoroughly and without mercy to the uncontrollable force before her.

BravE covered KnowledgE with the shield of her body as the energy spiraled dangerously against the atmosphere of Raven's mind. All of the matching purple eyes watched the massive energy charge with the intention of destruction. RAGE could not move, could not react, could not collapse in fear. The energy struck at her from all angles, at all energies and at all moments in time. The dark power was the essence of existing in Nevermore… that energy striking her madly took away every fraction of her being.

And for the moment it appeared that RAGE had disappeared.

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat..._**

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat…_**

Exhaustion won out over the terrible demonic fury that coursed through her veins. Raven's four eyes sunk away, revealing a sleepy set of two purple gems. BravE and KnowledgE retrieved her, pulling her back to the slim wasteland of ground that had been spared from the outpour of Raven's energy.

It was only a tiny platform of land beneath the energy of HOPE.

Consciousness returned to the purple haired mystic and right away she became aware of all that was happening around her. The energy of RAGE, the energy of HOPE and the energy of Laseri finally sinking into her body. Her hand dropped to that place, to the heat of her womb and felt the drumming energy there.

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat…_**

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat…_**

_Two heartbeats… one is my own… she's here… my daughter…_

Raven lifted her head, but to both BravE and KnowledgE it seemed that Raven was looking far past them, focusing on something they did not have access to. But she spoke to them, in a tone directed at both of them, but only one of them could answer.

"How much longer until I'm committed to this… To the birth of my daughter… to the will of my father?"

KnowledgE shook her head. The yellow fabric, where it wasn't torn, rustled against itself, bringing the first noise to the conversation that wasn't Raven's voice or Raven's breath. "It will not be complete… Not until you leave here…"

Raven looked up at the spiraling energy, gold and beautiful and tragically out of place. That was where her hope had gone, all of it. She couldn't face the tyranny of the outside world knowing that part of the guard that allowed her to face everyday was destroyed.

"If nothing will become of this… if I never leave my mind… then I can never leave here." Raven whispered.

KnowledgE placed a hand on her shoulder, if not for the wound in Raven's heart, she would have pushed the touch aside. "Lethe Waun Uwarahn." (You must go.)

Raven grazed her hand over the tightly clenched fingers on her shoulder. Her brow furrowed. "If I step outside here, I'll borne the destruction of the world."

But BravE agreed with KnowledgE. "The child grown from you will be your daughter. It is your parentage that will decide what becomes of her… Return to the real world… I will search for HOPE and a way to bring her back… you must maintain a vessel to capture her."

Raven's eyes dropped closed slowly and when they opened tears flowed like racing rivers. Her body felt like lead, even as KnowledgE took her hand gently and BravE placed a hand behind her back to ease her from the floor.

_Get up… **Get up.**_ ⁴

Raven's eyes remained transfixed on the energy gate. Her steps took her to it, as if this moment was predestined without her consent: just like most moments in her life, and just like most moments of her life, this moment was born from a tragedy that would have crippled any other person.

_Person… to keep from becoming a monster, I have to change Trigon's will… I have to find a way to erase the imprinting his pedigree has borne to me… and to my daughter… Somehow…_

Raven closed her eyes and floated through the energy of HOPE… she didn't meet inspiration, instead she suppressed a shudder as her magic reflexively pulled her hood over her face. With one trembling breath, Raven escaped the tragedy of Nevermore to exist in the tragedy of the rest of her life…

…

Robin's heart jumped in his chest, pulling the delicate but determined muscle into a riot that caused him physical pain. His masked eyes didn't show it, but somehow he knew that some tragedy had befallen the girl he loved, but he didn't know what and he didn't know what he was going to do about it…

Except destroy those that had caused it.

The Titans stood outside the portal door, in two lines: the first only contained Jinx and Robin; all the others fell back in a nervous display. Beast King tightened his glove, Starfire pressed her worried fingertips to her lips and D'ucel struggled not to be overwhelmed with the surging emotions.

Jinx raised a slender hand to the smooth stone portal gate. Her eyes took in their feral pink glow. "Obrium Bis Pendrule." (Bear me entrance)

The rest of the room began to shake, but in their eyes it looked as if the door was perfectly still. The Titans wobbled and struggled to maintain their footsteps. But Jinx remained perfectly still.

"Wakanta: Laseri. Lethe."

Jinx waved both her arms in a dance that Cyborg found beautiful. Jinx's wrists twisted as her delicate hands pushed and weaved through the air.

"Astarte tu Jinx."

It became apparent to the Titans then that Jinx was having a conversation with the gate and the mighty roar of the ground beneath them was its answer. As one by one they accepted the realization, they feared more and more, with the terrible roar; that the portal might not be in favor of their entrance.

Robin set his feet and stood as solidly as Jinx did. Jinx's eyes lost their feral glow as she turned in surprise. She could almost see Robin over coming the demonic barrier required to communicate with the gate. She could feel his will calling to the portal to let him in: to let him save her.

And the gate listened.

"How did you do that?" Jinx asked.

"It isn't just superpowers that get things done… willpower, love, hope… I've never faced anything I couldn't beat when I have all three of those… but most of all hope…" Robin replied.

…

Raven had a splitting headache and some how, on its own regard, her hand traveled from her side to lay over her stomach. She could feel it… already there was a gentle swell in her belly, there was life there… life she had to protect.

She became aware of the sensation slowly. The tug on her the base of her skull had been much too gentle for her to register as it was competing with the warm throb at the center of her belly. But once Raven was used to the small life clinging to her, she could feel the full spectrum of the universe around her… starting in her hair.

She didn't have to look down to know that it was Terra Nostra braiding her loose hair tightly. Terra noticed the shift in Raven's body immediately. She continued to busy her fingers in Raven's hair.

"Finally awake? You've been asleep for three days. I was beginning to think that being a mommy was going to be too much for you." Terra tapped something metallic on her wrist, flexing her fingers back and forth. Raven knew it was some sort of signal: she was letting someone know that it had happened. Raven's body had taken the Transient.

"I no longer have the capacity to desire to save your retched life." Raven said. She was able to ignore the twisting of Terra's fingers around her hair until the vicious blonde gave it a brutal tug that pulled Raven to the floor. Raven landed on her side, rolling over as soon as she hit the ground. Her eyes traveled up Terra's older form until she met her eyes. Those blue eyes were locked in disgust.

"Come off it Raven. It never occurred to you in that dark little mind of yours to forgive and forget. Just say it: you never liked me, you never wanted me back on your team."

"You're right, I didn't."

"Finally you're honest. From the moment those purple eyes of yours laid eyes on me…you wanted to crush me… but you didn't, you couldn't… Me on the other hand, when I wanted to crush---"

"What have you been doing all this time?" Raven cut her off swiftly. "You couldn't have been satisfied to watch me sleep for four years."

"Worried about your **friends**? Are you worried that I've been destroying lives one rock slide at a time? Is that what you want to hear? Actually, I've just been waiting… biding my time… I wouldn't do anything to risk my chance to be here…" Terra smiled cruelly, thinking of something that brought her amusement. "Do you find me sadistic? Are you thinking about me now the way you always had before? Come on and admit it Raven, you always thought I was a snake."

"No, snakes are beasts with no conscious of consequence. You had disregard. You think that having a few demons on your side will save you from the repercussions of your betrayal. But I promise you Terra, when I fall Trigon, when I crush Slade and Washu… you will not be spared… you will witness the full extent of my mercy." Raven sneered out.

There was enough give in the chain around her neck for Raven to sit up. Her hands fell across her stomach in a defensive shield, her body acting without her mind to protect the tiny thing inside her.

Raven's deep purple eyes bored into Terra's blue ones, but Terra didn't back away.

"Save me? You think I'm some **good** little girl, who wanted to be **bad **for kicks, don't you? Spare me the psychology Raven. You always thought you were so smart."

"I did. If I had listened to myself half the time I had misgivings about you, I could have crushed you, stopping you from betraying us again."

"Betrayer, betrayal, betrayed… betray" Terra cocked her head as if amused. "You have a lot of gall throwing that word around, you hypocrite. I may have tricked you, but I was never as bad as you. I pretended to want to be a part of your team and pretended to be your friend. But you, **you** made friends with Starfire, made her feel comfortable with you… gained her trust…and then took her boy."

Raven's face twisted in rage, forgetting everything about the rest of the world, as she launched forward to strike Terra down. Terra leaned back smoothly, just out of the reach of the enraged half-demon as the chain around her neck kept her from achieving her goal of strangling Terra.

Terra laughed. "Oh Rae! That face! It's priceless! The truth hurts doesn't it? I may have used you all to get what I want, but you made nice with Starfire and then snatched away her favorite play thing… so tell me Raven, between you and me, who's the betrayer?"

"You are." Raven gritted out.

"Thought you'd say that. See, that's the difference between you and me Raven**. I know you**. I know how you think, I know what you fear, I even know what you want. Past your desperate desire to be seen as strong and dark, **you're** the sad little girl, the one so twisted that she breaks the hearts and minds over everything around her."

"You don't know anything."⁵

The door to the room fell open. Terra turned her neck to look at the open way. She smiled, taking in the sight of Slade and Washu entering the cell. Unlike Terra, they didn't seem any older, but then again it was hard to tell the age of a masked man and with full-blooded demons with an age on the order of eons, a few years was equivalent to a heartbeat.

Raven watched Terra smile as Washu and Slade stepped within a few feet of them. Terra stood up, brushing her legs free of dust.

"I would love to sit here with you Rae, and pick you apart, detail by detail. But you've got another appointment."

…

ºLike Robin, Tetris hadn't died immediately from Washu's soul-shaving. But unlike Robin, his incapacitation had only lasted a few hours. The moment that thieving blow was struck, the crippling hold Washu had on the half-demon's soul was nearly broken. When his body tumbled to the ground, lacking most of its vital life energy, Washu's slave crown had fallen off and with it, the cage on Tetris' soul had fallen away.

Terra and Washu had both been in the room to see it, to see Tetris' regeneration of identity. Watching the pull and drive of the half-demon had inspired Terra, for a few seconds she was grossly fascinated with him.

They had left his collapsed body on the ground, exactly where he had fallen. Every eye in the room was infinitely more fascinated with the female half-demon who's life force was being influenced by their will. His breathing had been unnoticeable, they had assumed him dead. But Terra found, when they met his angry glare as he pulled himself off the floor, that she was happy that Washu wasn't as strong as he thought he was. She had a thing about putting demons in their place: though no part of that thing involved stopping their machinations, simply she liked the idea that their egos were crushable and she took satisfaction in that, even if she wasn't the one doing the crushing.

The variant pink color of his eyes demonstrated the capacity of consciousness, something that had been lacking in the years he was totally under Washu's control. The pink color was still unnatural, like Raven's purples, Washu's grays or the flaming reds that Terra had seen lurking in Washu's soul room: though when she had stumbled upon those unnatural colors, Washu's efflux of power had kept her from seeing them again. The geomorph hadn't realized at the time that a galaxy collapsed behind him through an exercise of his will. Slade had warned her about Washu's terrible power and terrible temper, but like her mentor, she never truly appreciated that power enough to fear it.

Without the direct connection, Washu didn't have the power to warp Tetris' mind. The slave crown was bent on the floor, unattached and thus useless to bend Tetris' will. It seemed that the half-demon was aware of himself, to refuse the discard of his life: though his whole life he had been a puppet, he had the inborn reflection of being more than just a one use entity.

His breathing was crippled as strands of his bangs shook loose of the others and fell into his eyes with each rise and collapse in his chest. His hand leaned out, his palm pressed down on the raised bed that held the suspended Raven, the pink haze of his eyes matched the pink energy swimming around her body. Though all acts of consciousness had been stolen from him for years, the years in which Washu built and executed his plans, Laseri tu Tetris knew what exactly had been done to him and done to her: the sire of Trigon, the mother of their demon seed.

"Another woman Washu? My mother, my sister and now the whelp of Trigon? Will you crush every woman you come across to reach the goal of my father?" Terra found that his voice was captivating, almost beautiful like the rest of him. When his eyes were normal, as normal as pink-demon eyes could be, the rest of his features demonstrated handsomeness, probably some of it born from a natural goodwill, one that had masked by the evil will of another.

Washu narrowed his eyes at the expended vessel for his goal. Doomgaze didn't care about the progeny he had already sired, that was why Washu had so easily discarded Astarte and why sealing Laseri's doom would bring no hesitance.

"I will destroy you… I will stop what you have done." Laseri said, his eyes taking on their feral pink glow.

"You do not possess the future to stop me."

Terra watched, Tetris, weak on his feet waved his hand in a complicated dance that seemed to freeze time all around them, or at least slow it down. Terra's blue eyes blinked and in amazement she could see the pulse of energy move in front of her face, single strands of sunkissed hair swept and waved in her vision, unable to block out the radiance from Tetris' body. The room stopped, echo reflections of Tetris' body split the air. Terra could barely move her pupils fast enough to catch Washu respond to the charging energy.

It seemed as if the expunging of his retaliation was a second thought. He didn't move his body, he didn't shift his gaze, he didn't even allow himself a satisfied smirk when the charging energy in Tetris became trapped and frozen within his young body, only to be ripped apart in a flex of Washu's superior might.

Terra frowned when the life that was Tetris simply ceased to be. There had once been life, if only truly for a few seconds, but Washu had destroyed all evidence of it right before her eyes. "What happens if something goes wrong and you need another baby?" Terra asked.

"The sire will be perfect, nothing short of completing her goal will destroy the whelp."

"Will you destroy Raven when you're done with her?"

"If I must."

"No you won't." Terra said, turning her eyes from the last traces of Tetris to the living full demon in front of her. "I haven't gotten my part of the bargain from this yet and I want her… ashes to ashes, bones to bones."

"Can you calm your hatred for another year? Or must you be put back to sleep to make sure you don't cause harm to her before her use has been exhausted?"

"You can relax for now. I can see you're not against destroying things that get in your way… I won't do anything to risk my chance for vengeance. I want her alive too… so she can have a front row seat when I destroy everything important to her."

Washu didn't seem either amused or displeased with Terra's declaration. In truth, he didn't think of her at all. The geomorph had served a valuable role in getting what was needed to ensure the capture of Trigon's heir. However, the second she was no longer useful she would know it, because that would be the moment when Washu no longer suffered her to live.

"When she awakes, she will have committed to the Transient."

"Right. I'll be waiting here when she does." Terra replied, looking down at the half-demon that embodied all the things she wanted to rid from her life: ego, manipulation, and **control**.º

…

Raven could hear Slade talk at her as she struggled against the pull of the collar around her neck, forcing her to stand and forcing her to follow.

"In three months you'll have your baby… one year after that… she is going to live out the end of the world."

Raven found that grabbing the collar and pulling only induced pain on her part. She could feel the pulse of Washu's power running through her, she could feel it bitterly in her womb. She ceased struggling, to calm the panic in her maternal instinct to protect the life inside her. Her breath shuddered as she moved forward, exposed on the right side as Washu pulled her forward at her left and Slade, Terra and Red X followed behind Washu like ducks.

She didn't think to notice that while her blue cloak was wrapped around her shoulders, her leotard had been exchanged for a dark red dress. It hid the shape of her changed body: those both from the result of time and from the prophecy enacted. Her legs were bare, she could feel cold, she could feel tiny stones splintering and exploding as she stepped forward.

She would feel the whorl wind of a battle cry when three exploding disks slammed into the ground around her and threw dirt into her vision.

By natural reaction, they all raised their hands to protect their eyes. Before Slade could command Terra to clear the air of the earth, a solid dropkick connected with his chest and hurled him from the dust cloud. The body moving into the circle and Slade's body exiting pulled most of the haze from Raven's vision and she could see: and at the same time, when Slade's body slammed into a wall and when Terra and Washu realized their danger, they saw as well.

"Robin?"

Their eyes were a light: in shock, in horror, in relief. Raven's heart jumped as she watched him pull himself up from his crouch to stand before her in profile. A single tear slipped her eye when she saw him. His face turned towards hers for the briefest second, but she saw all of him: his bright uniform, his midnight hair, his handsome face. Her heart skipped beats, the tragedy in her soul seemed to flux and a surge of something she couldn't control took over her body.

"Robin…" Raven fainted to the floor and around her, the cave of Wahan exploded in battle frenzy.

Washu was the first to recover from his shock, hurling an energy wave to take down the Titans' leader. Robin tumbled backwards, clearing the area for Star, D'ucel and Blackfire to unleash eye beams: crashing into Red X, Washu and Terra. The blonde geomorph slammed into the cave wall, inches away from Slade. Her huge blue eyes were wide with shock.

Jinx and Robin stood before them all, Robin pulled free his bo-staff and Jinx fanned out hexes. Washu turned his furious eye between Jinx and Robin, both of whom should be dead. He knew why they had come and he knew what he was going to do about it.

A dark grey barrier encased around Washu and Raven. Jinx narrowed her eyes before throwing four of her paper hexes at the enemies before her. Slade, Terra and Red X each smoothly rolled away from the wall as the razor sharp runes cut into the earth behind their shadows. Washu incinerated the attack made on him. Red X, Slade and Terra got to their feet. Robin stared down Slade, Terra was starred down by the rest of the Titans and a face she didn't know.

When Robin leapt forward to challenge Slade, the rest of the Titans took to the fight as well. Blackbolts chased Red X. The doppelganger flipped and evaded until a tackle from Tempest took away his footing.

Slade's evades were even slower as his single eye was still held wide in absolute shock at seeing Robin alive after four years believing him dead. Robin's attacks were deadly, any other man but the undead Slade would have been crushed under them. The rage of four years lost fueled Robin to jab, to kick, to expend the full extent of his martial artistry on the villain that represented everything he hated in the world.

A green eyebeam made Terra leap back, leaving her open when a rushing green ram slammed into her from the side. Her body rolled, before she put down a hand to stop her momentum. She pulled herself up to see the green ram morph into a bear. Her blue eye widened as that bear came forward again.

"Beast Boy? Aren't you going to talk to me? Don't you want to hear what I have to say?"

"There's nothing to say." He replied, pulling himself from his animal form. Terra stared out at the handsome Titan; he glared down at her from his imposing height. His thin lips were straight in a frown. "And my name is Beast King." He morphed smoothly, exposing his Beast Within.

Star grabbed Robin's hand and launched him into a counter attack that knocked Red X into a wall. The flailing body of the doppelganger flew past the barrier that Cyborg's beams and Foxfire's punches couldn't take down. Behind the barrier Washu's eyes were locked on Jinx and Jinx stood perfectly still holding his gaze. From where the others stood, they couldn't tell that both their mouths were moving in a frenzied pace to counterbalance the other's energy.

Terra shrieked as Beast King's most impressive form bear-hugged her. Her feet kicked out, her chest was barely able to bring in a breath. Beast King wasn't relenting, no matter how much it hurt his heart to hurt Terra. The blonde geomorph shook her head before her eyes became alight with her anger of the land. Beneath Beast King's feet the ground trembled and he hadn't enough time to react before he was catapulted into the air, releasing his grip on the geomancer. She collapsed to her knees; the fall of her blond hair didn't blind her to the battle scene around her. Starbolts crashed across the cave floor, trained on Terra and getting closer. In midair Tempest's foot was extended to deliver a drop kick. Robin and Slade were locked in a struggle as the pink haired demon girl was throwing forward slices of paper to take down Washu's barrier. Terra could see, even as those Starbolts came closer that Blackfire had forced herself close, her fingers gripping the physical barrier on either side of a paper hex and was trying to rip open the force field. Just inches beyond the black haired Tameranian's reach laid Raven, unconscious to everything going around her.

Terra would not let the Titans go unpunished.

"Laa!" The cave floor jumped, taking away Blackfire and Cyborg's footing. Before Star and Tempest could react, mud shot free from the ground and encased them, hardening in a stone shell.⁶ Robin's concern turned his head, allowing a hooking punch to knock him off his feet. Shards of the earth slammed into D'ucel and Jinx, pushing away the punishment on Washu and letting him unleash a fierce energy blow.

Terra pulled herself to her feet, her hands a light with her natural talents. The Titans were getting up. She had never seen them so strong, each of them were getting up, except Aqualad and Starfire who remained in their trap… until Starfire's eye beams shot forth and erupted the mud casing around her head.

Washu watched furiously as Jinx and Robin pulled themselves up, both their eyes fixed on him. Behind him Blackfire flew, reaching Tempest, her arms encircling his mud prison and squeezing, just hard enough to crumble the mold without hurting him. He was unconscious from the lack of air and as she laid him down gently, her eyes took on their purple glow.

Over Tempest's body, Terra and Blackfire met eye to eye, both their energies escaping, covering naturally blue pupils. At the same moment they pulled their hands back. But before Terra could strike a blow, a green eye beam crashed into her side. Blackfire smiled, looking up to her little sister, who too had her eyes masked in a furious glow. Behind them Jinx and Robin moved together. Jinx grabbed his gloved wrist and slid them through Washu's barrier.

The full demon's grey eyes were a wreck with rage as Jinx stared him in the eye. She held his absolute attention as Robin kneeled down and cradled Raven gently in his arms. He had wishes for revenge, wishes to destroy the Syndicate, wishes to end everything that had kept him away from Raven for four years… but none of them were stronger than the relief he felt when he touched her, when he held her close to him: not as a dream, but a living breathing entity…

He had her back… and for the moment that satisfied all his wishes.

The plan was a simple one, one that only had two possible outcomes as far as Robin was concerned: get Raven out or get Raven and Tetris out. From the furious glare behind Jinx's pink eyes, it seemed that whatever she had feared to happen had happened and there was no Tetris to be saved.

He couldn't say he felt bad, all he could feel was Raven close to him, Raven in his arms where she belonged. The rest of the world might have collapsed at that moment, but he had her.

Jinx smoothly pulled a hex from her sleeve. This one seemed different, the color wasn't the same as any of her others, this color was golden, the writing on it in a pure white. Washu watched his charge pull the slip over her eye and in the moment her unveiled eye locked on his, the hex began to work. Flowing from that single slip of paper, a pink energy spiral formed and expanding, pushing away at the barrier. Washu sneered down, but everything was happening too quickly. That pink coil of energy broke apart his barrier and shattered along the cave walls. It struck Slade and Red X and made sure that Terra stayed down.

Somehow the other's knew it was their cue. Starfire swooped down and captured Beast King as her sister retrieved Tempest. D'ucel grabbed Cyborg, though the mechanical fighter protested, not wanting to leave Jinx behind.

"Endari Ende Mortix!"

Jinx waved the outwashing hex before letting it go. The stiff paper floated perfectly still in the middle of the room. At best it would hold for a few more minutes, but if they could get deep enough into the access of the cave, those few moments would be good enough.

She turned her head and saw them flee: Robin carried Raven, holding her gently but firmly as he too made his escape. Jinx turned back to Washu, watching him sneer down at her.

"You have stopped nothing." He muttered. She could see him imposing his dark power into the atmosphere. It was a slow spill; the dark grey could only cover her power a millimeter at a time.

"I have done enough… for what you did to me... I promise you all my power will undo you." Jinx replied.

"Astarte Boraun Huy Taun Lowi Wa." (I will destroy you for your worthlessness.)

"You never had **that** power. You can't destroy anything."

"Expect your mother… expect your brother… except you."

Jinx's face held a tight sneer, but she didn't act on the rage building within her. She had known the moment she had seen Raven that what she had feared to come true had happened. Her brother was destroyed, his life energy becoming the imperfect seed in Raven's womb. The portal had been created.

It would take the rest of Jinx's life to protect the lingering essence of her brother; it would take the rest of her life to get strong enough to finally defeat Washu.

She watched for only a few seconds, as more of Washu's energy spilled past her spell. She turned her back on all that was behind her and ran to catch up with the Titans.

It would be a few precious seconds before Washu broke free of Jinx's hex. The furious demon flooded the cave in his rage. The ground split, the cave ceiling crumbled. Slade barely avoided being crush by a falling boulder. He was still fazed by what he had seen. Robin was alive: he had hit him, had been struck by him, heard his furious roar. In four years Robin had recovered, just like Tetris had done within a few hours, but unlike Tetris, Robin could not be destroyed. Over four years the Titans' leader had grown and prepared for a fight that Slade hadn't dared to believe was coming. Though he had undeniably lost that fight, Slade couldn't feel anything less than satisfaction.

Terra pulled herself into a sitting position; a terrible burn was running through her gut. _Those alien dogs! It was bad enough that Beast Boy_ _tried to snap me in half, but those double teaming Troq princesses! _Terra had considered sparing Starfire a particular painful demise, but all chances of **that** were now nonexistent.

Terra's rage overlapped Washu's, nothing in the cave was spared. The ground shook, the air became like poison before Terra nearly suffocated herself in her rage. Her feral eyes became calm, her breathing steadied.

"It would probably good if he calmed down too." Red X muttered as he pulled himself up as well.

Washu seemed to hear Red X's comment: that rage seemed to subside; at least the expelling of power had stopped for the most part. Slade rubbed his jaw, thinking constantly, in the way that he always did.

"They will head back to the tower. Sending a short army would be more than enough to get her back. No matter how good they fight when desperate, they're still desperate and they make mistakes." Slade posited.

"You are too stupid to understand how complex the plan is! The whelp of Trigon's demoncy has to be prepared to be of value to me. With Astarte assisting them, she will make sure that the preparations are impossible."

"Do you mean Jinx? Her abilities are impressive, but not unsurpassable. They can only use the element of surprise once." Slade replied.

"I'm not sure you even have to worry about Raven doing her part." Terra said, brushing off her arms and legs as if she hadn't a care in the world. "You said so yourself, the girl is programmed to make the portal and she's way too proud to do anything but become the portal bearer. So I say we sit back and wait for her to give birth to her precious little girl… and when the time comes, we take her away."

"There are preparations the portal must undergo."

"Raven will probably do it unintentionally, thinking she can make the child strong enough to stop her destiny… Raven's going to produce destruction and we're going to ensure it." A lock of blonde hair fell over her face. She pushed it behind her ear, Slade and Red X could see the malicious intent there. "I think we have everything we need to make a grand guard for Raven's baby."

…

He would have collapsed from joy if he hadn't been carrying something so precious to him in his arms. Jinx had sealed the cave behind them, what that meant in terms of their ability to escape had yet to be seen. Jinx stepped back from the gate that both she and Robin had communicated with and hoped that her plea and the pathetic vision that Raven made would inspire it to hold closed. Whether or not that inspiration kept Washu at a distance was something Jinx did not know.

Starfire was crying, D'ucel touched her shoulder and she immediately latched on to him. Her tears were from happiness, all of them were feeling overwhelming joy at having Raven back. Except Jinx. Her eyes too were trained on the fainted Raven, but while their eyes were locked on her face, Jinx's gaze shifted between her neck and her stomach.

"We need to go." Jinx said firmly.

"Do you think you can cover our tracks with some of your hexes?"

Jinx shook her head in the negative. "If I use any more powers… Washu will be able to get to us. We'll have to get back the same way we came and hope for the best." It was a lie, but the Titans would know the truth soon enough.

"Then let's get back to the tower." Cyborg tapped his communicator, bringing Celine's image on the screen.

"Omicron here." Celine voice carried over the transmission device.

"Prepare a couple medical beds…We're on our way back… all of us."

Celine touched her heart. "That is wonderful news. I'll have everything ready."

"Right. Cyborg out."

Robin cradled Raven's form as close as he could without crushing her. He turned to his team, able to see all of them in one sweep. "Let's go home."

Beast King took the R-cycle, it was obvious to all of them that he wanted to be alone for the ride: he needed to work out his emotions. He was happy they saved Raven; he was disappointed that he didn't even try to save Terra. Celine had told him to trust that beautiful thing in his heart that told him to try again: but when he had Terra in his arms, when she wanted him to talk to her… he didn't want to help her. He hadn't wanted to hurt her either, he wasn't exactly what had inspired him to become his most powerful self, he didn't know what he was trying to prove to himself. He revved the engine of the R-Cycle and sped ahead of them all: he was absolutely certain that the ride back to Jump City wouldn't be long enough to clear his head.

Blackfire climbed into the front seat, positioning Tempest on her lap. He had come to a little, but despite his tolerance for asphyxiation, he had been trapped into the mud for just a bit too long. Her fingers sweeping over his brow smeared more mud than cleared it. She didn't fret. When she got him to the medic room she'd clear it all off. Her blue eyes closed and opened slowly as Robin gently laid Raven flat along the back seat, he knelt in the space on the floor beside her head and Jinx did the same behind Cyborg's seat: both of their gazes were locked on Raven. She saw the way Robin's gloved fingers laced in Raven's slack ones, drawing her fingertips to his lips.

Blackfire's thoughts brought a thankful sigh to her lips. _We've done the first step… after four years… in clearing it all away…_

…

The beds were ready as Celine had promised. Aqualad was laid down and, ever so gently, so was Raven. Speedy had stood up when Robin came in, carrying Raven. He had heard from Celine that they had gotten her, but seeing her, actually laying his eyes on her, it surged a hope in him that he hadn't felt in a long time. His eyes moved from the precious sight of his masked counterpart to the precious sight of his own gaze. Sakura hadn't so much twitched a nerve in four years… but maybe, just maybe they were on a roll for recovery.

Robin looked down at his beautiful Raven. She was real: he touched her body, she was warm the way he remembered her. The Titans' leader nearly fainted with joy to feel her skin again, to touch her cheeks, her lips, her hair. Her body wasn't damaged, there didn't appear to be any bruises and expect for the strange dress she was wearing and the collar around her throat, she looked exactly as he imaged she would over the four year difference.

"Raven. Raven." He whispered, taking her fingers in his again.

Celine had to fight back the tears as she saw the worry and pain Robin had been carrying for years slip away. Her eyes followed Jinx's hands as they reached out and gently removed the collar from Raven's neck. Celine didn't know Jinx was so powerful, but she realized that she didn't know much about Jinx.

When Jinx's fingers, gripping the broken collar, moved from Raven's neck to the guard rail by Raven's lower half, Celine pulled her gaze up to Jinx's face and Jinx noticed that Celine had noticed. A tear slipped down Jinx's face, Celine frowned and turned her gaze to Robin. The loving gaze told them that there was nothing in the world, over the course of infinite years that would remove him from that spot before Raven woke up.

Celine quietly asked Speedy to leave and both she and Jinx followed behind him as he left the room to leave them be. The door slid shut behind them and Celine pressed her back against the wall.

"Did I see what I think I saw?" Celine asked, watching Speedy walk away.

Jinx rolled the collar in her fingers for a few seconds before a surge of energy destroyed the device. "It's not my place to say." Jinx replied.

"You didn't find your brother… that tells me that what you feared for Raven has come true. You're going to say Jinx; you're going to tell us all the truth."

"That's Raven's decision… all I can do is make sure she understands anything she doesn't already."

"And what are we supposed to do?" Celine asked.

"You're all going to have to wait and see."

Jinx walked away.

…

Raven felt something touching her lips. It was soft and dry and so familiar that she had to open her eyes. And she did. She had felt something warm between her fingers, she had felt something steady and warm against her cheek and she knew from the lingering sensations in her heart that it was Robin's fingers locked through hers and Robin's breath on her cheek.

Those purple eyes opened and saw him. His face was beautiful. More beautiful than she had known a human being could be. His lips were on hers, the soft touch made her heart ache as she remembered that four years had passed since the last time this had happened: so much time had passed, so many things had changed, but this was still beautiful.

"Robin." Her lips moved against his slowly.

"Raven… you're… I've got you Raven…"

"You got me." Raven whispered, letting Robin pull her into a seated position. They hugged fiercely, their chins falling over each other's shoulders, their eyes closed, his chest was shuddering, her bottom lip was caught tightly between her teeth. She didn't know she could cry so much.

"I was so afraid."

Raven felt Robin's hands leave her shoulder to run down her back. Her body shook. In her stomach was a heat of consequence, it spun and blinded her and it made her more afraid then she had thought she was capable of.

"Robin," She whispered. "Let go of me." Her hands moved up his arms, squeezing the muscles that were tense there. Robin could feel her pushing his arms away, but he resisted.

"Never. Never again." Robin replied. His handsome face lined up perfectly with hers, his hands cupped her face, his thumbs were covered in her tears.

"Robin… I need to tell you something. Something awful, something I…"

Robin hushed her. "You can tell me anything you want forever, for as long as you want. But please, please let me have this moment… I've waited four years to have you in my arms again."

Raven pressed her forehead into his cheek and he whispered to her beautiful things that made her heart explode: he missed her, he was worried, he'd protect her always, he'd never let her down again.

Raven listened to his every word, careful in the way their bodies touched. He hadn't noticed; she wasn't prepared for him to notice. This wasn't the way she wanted her reunion with Robin, with her friends, to be. Slowly and delicately she put Robin to sleep: she worried for a moment that the lack of use of her powers would be risky, but the deep place in her heart that held all aspects of love protected him. She laid him back gently, his face relaxed and handsome: just a few feet away she could see Sakura laying still as Robin was, locked in a sleep brought on by magic.

Raven stood up, stood between the two beds and held her stomach sadly. It had only been three days and already her body was showing the consequence of her heritage. _Slade said three months… and then one year from that on the anniversary of my birth… what will happen… I need to know… to protect everything that matters to me…_ Raven's eyes caught Robin's sleeping figure in her gaze._ I need to understand the truth… _

Her body shifted easily into the black energy of her soul self. She was disoriented, the tiny life inside her made everything different. _Everything is different… what I want, what I love and what I'll get: what happens to me, to my friends, to the rest of the world… to Robin… it all depends on this little life inside me…_

When her soul body reformed, she was standing in the center of her room. The dark colors were wrong, at least from what she remembered of them. Things were out of place or new or missing. Her books were disordered, some mangled, and some were missing. She found the one she was looking for, it was burned and many pages were missing, but she knew enough from memory. Her sands were missing, her black candles were gone and she realized she was going to faint if she didn't slow down. Her body slumped to the floor, all her weight resting on her left hand and knees as the right one cupped her mouth keeping her scream from being audible.

It hurt to breathe, her heartbeat was uncontrollable and her power was birthing fear in every inch of her. Somehow in her blind determination, she hadn't noticed Jinx was in her room.

She stepped forward, inches away from Raven's face and waited. Raven knew she was there but didn't look up.

"Teleporting won't work and it would be dangerous for you and the life inside you."

Raven's head raised swiftly, her eyes became unstable behind their twist of demonic franchise. A raven's claw extended from her hand, catching Jinx around her chest and slammed her into the wall. Jinx could have freed herself, but she didn't. She watched Raven approach her with all her demoncy in her eyes.

"Lethe Yu Wan Kaiyen Mortien Mor." (Stop and listen to me.)

"Why should I listen to you? To anything you have to say?"

"Astarte tu Jinx." Jinx replied.

Raven's eyes returned normal. Her energy dropped Jinx. The pink haired half-demoness landed on her feet. Her pink eyes studied Raven's face: she was older, they were both older and things were different, they were worse than Jinx ever wanted to believe was possible. She couldn't say that the reason she was standing in front of Raven was because of some friendship or even comradeship: the truth was she never liked Raven, but that didn't matter. When she knew all the truths she could find, it stopped being about what she liked and wanted: it became about what she could do. When she understood what there was to know, in Jinx's heart she knew she couldn't let Washu do **that** to Raven. But seeing Raven, she knew that it was too late to stop. So the only thing left for Jinx to do was to help her by sharing her truths with the bearer of her brother's labor.

"When I told you about Doomgaze at the tournament, I hoped you'd investigate and see the connection with Blood. I hoped you'd realize and use your power to help me… but you didn't figure it out so I fought Blood alone… and I lost… that's why I didn't get to you… in time."

"In time? What could you have done? Did you know everything then?"

"No… I only know slightly more than you. I knew who was going to do it… how it was going to be done… it was only those years ago that I knew who they were going to use."⁷

"Everyone knew but me." Raven whispered.

"Neither of us knows everything yet… but we both know what it will take to get enough information to stop what has begun… I can show you the way."

"The way?" Raven asked.

"To Azarath."

End of Chapter Twelve.

A/N

¹Tetris is from Azarath. So he has an Azarathian name, just like Jinx and Raven. Tetris' whole name is Laseri tu Tetris. Jinx's name is Astarte tu Jinx. Have you figured out what Raven's name is?

²Anyone remember that from Remembersees Part Three?

³New spell… but it's not Raven's.

⁴That's actually my favorite Starfire line: remember in the beginning of The End part three?

⁵I based the entire story around the original dialog I had made for this part. Unfortunately in my never failing short-sidedness, I didn't back up the original copy of this convo and when my computer decided to destroy itself, I lost the well planned out conversation between Raven and Terra for this moment. I can tell you with absolutely no ego, that the original version of this conversation would have been the best dialog between Terra and Raven in fanfiction history: it was in character, it flowed, it was perfect. But I can't remember it. The loss of that segment of the story made writing this part extremely difficult. **Sigh**

⁶ If you read The Judas Contract, this is something that Terra did to Beast Boy and Nightwing with Wonder Girl saving Nightwing. I was originally going to make Wonder Girl a part of the Teen Titans, but Blackfire fits the role perfectly.

⁷The last time the Titans had encountered the HIVE (during the Red Hawk saga in HIVE MIND), Jinx wasn't with them. This was why.

Incase you're wondering, the language Raven and Jinx speak is Azarathian, which is total nonsense. I make it up as I go along.

There were two character transformations in this chapter. Aqualad became Tempest. Beast Boy became Beast King.


	47. String of Memory Part One

String of Memory

Part One

A/N: I got my first flame over my hiatus. I must say it was rather anti-climatic, but it did prompt me to remember to say thanks to all my loyal readers and reviewers. You all rock my socks for staying with me through this beast of a story. You've never let me down when I needed inspiration and I hope not to let you guys down either when you need a good story.

Also, this chapter is going to be a little dark where Speedy is concerned…

…

His name was Seth. He didn't know why they called him Roy but they did. No matter how much he protested they kept calling him Roy and eventually he gave up. He started responding to it more and more like second nature and eventually Roy became his permanent handle.

He walked the streets, mostly during the day when there wasn't too much of a crowd and all the weirdoes weren't out yet. That was when it was safest to do his business, though safe was a relative term.

Roark Harold was a murderer. Though he preferred to prey on the confident, he wasn't against traumatizing the weak, especially children. He picked a target and sunk his claws in and gave a harsh sting to life.

He found Roy Harper and decided to play.

The lithe red head was a bit too pretty to go through life unmolested, physically or otherwise. Roark Harold had an interest in the mind state of the boy who managed to dodge attacks and ill-intentions better than people with twice his life experience. He could dodge and avoid thieves and weirdoes all he wanted, but he couldn't avoid Roark Harold.

As a result of Roark Harold's constant and cruel gaze, Seth "Roy" Harper spent a lot of time on the run. He had gashes on his thighs from when he wasn't fast enough, scratches on his feet when he had made wrong turns into alleys and exactly six permanent scars in the inside slope of his shoulders that were distinctly in the shape of struck-burned matches.

Roy made his way honest, that is, not stealing, instead scavenging for things in the urban jungle, hoping none of his motions would inspire Roark's gaze. He had the fingers of an artist, the gaze of a hunter and the body build of a gymnast; it was difficult for him to go undetected. He'd spend entire nights on the run, trying to evade the ever stretching reach of the monster that ran the Hell's Kitchen where Roy had somehow ended up after his father had gone missing. He had come to Cook looking for his mother, who apparently had died in some fashion connected with Roark: that same connection that kept him trapped in Cook: that plan that made his entire life a cat and mouse game. He was the mouse, one of many, but he was the only one that Roark battered around instead of devouring immediately.

He didn't know how long he had run between the streetlights of Cook before he was happened upon a generous man named John Stewart, a man too generous for Roy to trust right off the bat. But he did trust him and the man took him off the streets of Cook, though Roy had given him plenty of warning that Roark Harold had made him his personal prize possession and Roark Harold never let go of things he wasn't done with yet. John Stewart had told him not to worry: that he had more than enough muscle in his corner to handle the likes of Roark Harold.

From the age of fourteen to the age of seventeen, the year he had met Robin and the other Titans at the tournament of Heroes, Speedy had been born and perfected under the watchful gaze of the Green Lantern. Speedy exploded in Steel City as a phenomenon of heroics that rivaled the likes of Batman in magnitude. Tales of his skill traveled through news papers as far as Jump City and especially as far as Cook. Covered in the media glow and constant work, Speedy was able to throw himself into his new personality and hide away all the nightmares he had lived out in his years in Cook.

When he was seventeen he left his mentor behind and joined his friend Aqualad in joining the Teen Titans of Jump City. And less than a year on that team he met a girl that had her own scars on her back that she was living high and well to look over. She was cool, she was gifted and she was beautiful: she was all the things that Speedy wanted in a friend, in a lover, in a love.

Speedy was sleeping on his back. Half asleep really, thinking about something that tasted bitter in his throat. Four years ago Speedy had gotten the girl that made everything behind him seem like exactly what it was: in the past. And with her he could look forward all the time and enjoy every second of life. But only after months of waking up to her in his arms, he was in a position where she might never wake up. Washu apparently had the ability to put people to sleep and so far, the only limit to his power was his mercy… and that was nonexistent. Speedy hated that once again the moments of his life were directed by a tyranny that he couldn't face. It burned him constantly, in a way that was different than when he was younger, but it burned him none-the-less.

…

Their grey skin was in contrast as Jinx reached her hand out to touch Raven's arm. Raven's first reaction was to pull away and the second was to slap her, but she did neither: Jinx knew something and information was valuable to her.

"We can take the Endari Moon Path. My birthright will allow us to travel through the dark moon to reach the deepest circle in the ring of Azarath."

"The Endari… that only opens once every…"

"In two days… despite my birthright, it will still be a challenge to get to and open… It will… require both of us to pass. I suggest you rest your strength."

Raven shook her head. "I can't rest… I have to tell them all the truth…"

"I didn't tell them anything except where you were. I figured you'd want to be the one to tell them everything."

"You figured incorrectly. I don't **want** to tell them what has become of everything, but I must. They're my friends and I don't want to hurt them by leaving them in the dark any more."

"We're still in the dark." Jinx replied.

"You say that to me like I'm not already aware."

"I'll go and gather them then." Jinx decided after a few moments of silent stares.

"Don't get Robin… I need to talk to him on my own."

Jinx nodded and left the dark room. Raven found it hard to think. Even though she was in her home, in her room, she felt terribly out of place. She hadn't needed anyone to explain to her that a series of terrible events had occurred while she was gone: she had felt the full attack in her own body. Her friends had changed, her team had changed and the life course she had thought she had changed had simply taken a hidden path to get to where her father wanted her.

Raven swallowed hard and changed her clothes. She wasn't foolish enough to think to put on a leotard, like she had when she was sixteen. The changes that were consequences of age and her retched blood would make the fit impossible. Her slender fingers shifted through the remnants of her wardrobe when her fingers ghosted against a black slip of material. Before she had any consciousness to her action, she pulled the garment free from the closet and stared at it as if she had never seen it before.

But she had seen it before and like a hurricane the memory of it rushed to her as her fingers traced the material up and down. It was the dress, the dress she had fretted hours over to wear on her first six month anniversary with Robin… because of everything, she hadn't been able to wear it and now it was much too late to wear it.

When she was younger her anger would have torn that pretty little dress to shreds. But her body was calming all her destructive urges: she had a life to protect; the stress of her power would only cause it harm. So her heartbeat slowed even as tears flooded her eyes. She gripped the dress to her chest and dropped to the floor, crying the way she wanted to since the moment she found out the truth.

She finished her cry and finished changing clothes, careful to wrap her cloak around her body. Beneath the visual shield, her arms wrapped around her middle as if a slight jarring would spill her baby prematurely.

_In two days… I'll take this child to Azarath, to have her born there just like I was… to terrible things like I was… and to lie to her… just like I was…_

…

Robin woke up slowly and very cold. He was in the medical room, just like he remembered. But he was alone in the bed, that part he couldn't account for.

_It couldn't have been a dream… I felt her_._ I held her tightly… how had she slipped away?_ His body wasn't warm with the memory of her, the way it used to be when they were kids. _No, it couldn't have been my imagination! She has to be here! She has to!_

Robin fled from the medic room and raced to Raven's room. It was the only place she would be if she wasn't in his arms. He found her there, sitting on her bed, holding a mangled bunny in her fingers. Robin's breath hitched in his throat as his eyes took in the sight of her. Her hair was free, falling over her right shoulder and down her back. The locks were longer, reaching the bed sheets even over the lengthened expanse of her back.

"Raven." He whispered.

Her huge purple eyes were just bare of tears, the boy with midnight shaded hair could see that somewhere in the haze of fear and uncertainty there was happiness in her eyes. He was going to do everything in his power to make happiness overwhelm all her uncertainties: she was home, she was safe, he would never let her go.

Raven stood up and Robin stood closer until they were toe to toe with Raven's forehead lining up under Robin's nose. She moved first, her slender fingers found the bind that kept his pony tail back and snapped it, his long tress falling free and outward. Both sets of her fingers reached out to touch them, he allowed the left hand, he caught the right in his own fingers and brought the digits to his lips.

"I tried not to change." He whispered and Raven's fingers felt every word. The same way her heart did.

"Everything's changed." Raven whispered.

"Nothing has to change… we'll never get back the years we lost, but Raven the way---"

Raven shifted the fingers of her right hand just slightly to hush Robin's words. Her eyes closed as she leaned her body forward until her forehead touched his jaw. She did something he missed dearly, something that brought a feeling of joy to his heart that he couldn't explain. She spoke to him, in the intimate way that only they could.

_I never doubted for a moment that our hearts were together, no matter how far apart our bodies were…_

Robin's body shuddered and the Titans' leader gave into the overwhelming emotions that had been building in him for longer than he could know. His arms wrapped around her crushing her chest against his. Their heart beats didn't align as perfectly as they had when they were younger; Robin had grown just a bit too much for that wonderful sensation to last through the years, but feeling her close to him gave him the warmth that her heartbeat had always been able to.

His grip could only become tighter as Raven pressed her body into his. For a moment all he could feel was every inch of her touching every inch of him… until he felt the warmth in the center of her belly, far to low to be the remnant energy of her heart.

"Raven?"

She pulled back suddenly, then pulled him back to her, cupping his face in both her hands as she kissed him hard on the mouth. She was sobbing again, the tears were wet down Robin's face. Her lips pressed his once, twice, then she pulled away again, still holding his face in her hands.

"When they told me I'd bare the portal… they meant it literally. What I would bare would be Trigon's way… my daughter…"

"Raven no…" His fingers squeezed her shoulders tightly.

"I couldn't stop it… all along I had believed in a false prophecy… When the monks of Azarath told me their vision… I sealed myself away for years, keeping my emotions to myself, building my power and I gave up all hope of…"

She pulled her hands away from Robin's face and cupped her mouth with them.

"The life you dreamed of… the motherhood you wanted…" Robin said slowly. He pulled her hands away from her mouth. His hands held her face, her arms latched into the inside of his elbows.

Her gaze couldn't escape his as she told him her truths.

"It was a plot, programmed by my body to make me unable to resist."

"That means your prophecy…"

"It was always my daughter that would bring the destruction to the world… and now it's begun."

"Raven, no! I won't let this happen!"

"It's too late to stop… her birth was Transient."

"What does that mean?"

"Her life course is set… She's sired to be born in three months and a year after that…"

"That's just enough time to prepare." Robin replied.

"To prepare what?"

"To make a safe room for you and the baby… to safe guard the Tower for an infant and make sure everything is---"

"Robin. Stop."

Robin hushed her gently, his thumbs rubbing her cheeks gently. Somehow, in a way that Raven couldn't understand, Robin was managing to smile. "I don't want you to be scared. We're in this together."

Raven shook her head, but didn't move from Robin's embrace. "That's why I'm afraid… everything is so wrong… things can't go back to the way they were before. No matter how I wish it weren't true…."

"Don't think like that."

"How can I not?"

Robin kissed her mouth gently, holding her face with both hands. "Keep hope in your heart."

_I can't find her in my mind…_

Raven sat Robin down beside her and told him everything she needed him to know.

"Raven… I know that you're scared. You have every right to be… but you're here with friends, with family and we're going to do everything it takes, no matter what it takes, to make sure the Syndicate never gets to you or the baby." Robin knelt down in front of her, taking both her slender hands into his. "I'll do everything beyond my powers to make sure this child grows up with love… without fear, without worry, without the evil plots over her head… I could be… a father to her.¹" Robin whispered, turning his left hand under her right to lay the interlocking fingers over her stomach. Raven shuddered. Robin whispered to her gently, his masked eyes trained on her beautiful purple ones. "She will be ours."

Raven wasn't sure how everything in the room hadn't exploded in the moment. She had trained for years to minimize the destructive outpour of her power caused by her emotions, but this feeling was stronger than anything she had ever felt… and probably would ever feel again… and that was the tragedy in her spirit, that was why so much was wilting away inside of her.

She had to tell him.

_She will be ours…_

"She won't be safe… I have to take her away… to Azarath"

…

Robin wasn't at the group meeting later that night. All the other Titans noticed and they all somehow knew that whatever Raven was going to tell them would be terrible, if Robin couldn't bear to hear it twice. Raven sat between Jinx and Celine as she told them the truth, or at least what she knew. Eyes were watering and thirty seconds ago D'ucel had fainted from the emotional outpour. He was roused awake by Starfire and had to focus to keep from blacking out again.

Celine took one of Raven's hands and squeezed it softly. "Two days? That isn't enough time… Is there no other way? We only just got you back…"

Raven shook her head. "I have to go…but this time, please know that I am… safe…"

"I wish that you would reconsider." Starfire replied, "Now that we know what we are up against, we can be better prepared to stop it."

Raven shook her head again. "We still don't know anything…"

Tempest stood up, his fingers still caught in Blackfire's hand. "But…"

Jinx stood up, shifting the weight on the couch, making Raven's body shift. Her purple eyes watched the other half-demoness stand before her friends to tell them the truth that hurt Raven to tell. "This is the only way. We have both seen it as so… there are magics in Azarath that can protect Raven and her child from all the darkness she'd encounter on Earth."

Beast King's green eyes wavered. "Can we go with you?"

Raven shook her head in the negative. "You can't. Only those born to or called can enter Azarath… this is the protection from the Syndicate that I require."

It was a barb she didn't mean, but it was something they had all seen coming. Protection: it was what Raven and her child needed; it was something that the Titans couldn't give her. They had failed her once, the evidence of it was in Raven's womb, across Celine's forehead and imprinted in all of their hearts.

They had four years to find her, to stop the Syndicate, to stop the first steps in the end of the world… and they couldn't do it. Now Raven needed a year to plan and protect the life of her daughter and not a single one of them in the room could blame her.

Someone outside the room could.

Raven held her stomach, the swell was increasing and if she concentrated hard enough she could find the beginning heartbeat of the little life in her. Cyborg leaned over her shoulder, placing one massive hand over her slight frame.

Cyborg's face was sad, but in the way that he did, he understood her and why she was going to do what she was going to do. "If that's the way it is, then that's the way it is."²

Celine frowned. The other Titans dropped their heads and D'ucel blacked out again. Celine's eyes moved from the toppled over Tameranian to Raven's face.

"Is there anything we can do for you… to help you through this?"

Raven squeezed her hand then squeezed her eyes shut. The rest of the Titans waited for her to say something, something that would make the pain lessen, if there was such a thing to say, but they were more than willing to take anything she had to say so they could believe that somehow they had helped her: that they had somehow given her something of what she needed… they couldn't protect her… the very least they could do was let her know that they loved her.

"I have missed you all and for another year I'll miss everything about you all. I only have a few hours to spend… just talk to me so I can imprint it all into my heart."

A tear fell down Starfire's face and she leapt forward and hugged Raven, careful with her strength. Raven patted the sobbing girl's back. Over the redhead's shoulder, she could see Cyborg and Blackfire trying to give her their best smiles. Starfire pulled back, her beautiful green eyes down at the floor. Raven touched her cheek and something like a smile graced her face. Starfire kneeled at Raven's feet and kept her eyes downcast as she tried to calm her tears.

Beast King looked away from Raven for a second before meeting her purple eyes with his handsome green ones. He rubbed the back of his head. "You wanna hear a crummy joke?" He offered.

Raven smiled. "Desperately, Beast Boy."

Beast King laughed a little. "It's uh Beast King now."

Raven blinked. "That's actually pretty… cool."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

She spent the seeing hours of the first day memorizing the changes in their faces, the sounds of their voices and the feel of their hands in hers. The way Starfire and Beast Boy had grown up, to the scar on Celine's forehead, to the way Aqualad changed his name. Those hours of that day belonged to her friends…

All the rest of the time in the tower belonged to Robin.

She had found it hard to walk away from him, the moment she had, when she went to tell the truth to all her friends. His shoulders were shaking and he looked as if he could destroy the world with his anger. He had wanted to say something mean, to think something mean, something to make her stay. But he couldn't. He had let her walk out the room, listening to her promise to return, she always promised she'd come back. He had collapsed onto her bed, finding that his upper back was squashing the brown bunny that he had been tending to since he found it within the wreckage of her room.

For hours he beat himself up for not being able to give Raven something to make her believe that staying with him was what was best. For four years he had dreamt of the moment when he'd be reunited with her and not a single scenario that had been born from his beautiful imagination had presented anything close to this.

But he couldn't just lie on her bed and wish for something better. As much as it hurt, and it did hurt more than all the other tragedies in his life, he couldn't waste the few precious hours he'd have with her. He wasn't going to fight her, but he wasn't going to let her go. For a few hours that would have to satisfy him for a year, he was going to hold onto her.

…

Raven had to walk past the medic room to get to her own. Starfire and Beast King walked with her and they stopped when she stopped there. Her purple eyes wandered for a few seconds before they fell on Sakura. Jinx had told her briefly what Washu had done to Sakura: when she thought about the brave older girl, Raven didn't want to believe it was true; but she knew first hand the cruelty Washu and the Slade Syndicate was capable of.

She walked in slowly and looked down at the sleeping girl. It was a sleep that couldn't be fought out of: it was programmed and no matter the great will within, it could not be over come.

Raven didn't know why she thought using her powers would somehow awaken Sakura: her powers hadn't saved herself… why would it work on anyone else? But her hand reached out and touched Sakura's forehead. She let her energy pull, seeping from her finger tips like water.

Raven had tried to using her powers to induce reanimation, but Sakura's Holy power arched and flared when she did. The Holy power was keeping Raven out.

"I guess that's the draw back of countering powers… we can't help each other.³ The opposing forces… just like before… her Holy is rejecting me."

But there was something to it. She swore just for a moment her stomach felt warm when Sakura's power had sparked gently to reject Raven's energy. The Holy hadn't hurt her… it felt calming, the life inside her resonated gently and something close to well-being held her gently.

_Robin…_

_Raven…_

Raven opened her eyes in surprise. Robin's voice had come to her so suddenly and so gently, just the way she remembered it to.

_**Beat, Beat Heartbeat…**_

Raven sunk through the floor and reappeared in her room, leaving behind a surprised Starfire and Beast King and a still sleeping Sakura.

Robin was standing in the center of her room and when she fazed in, he turned around and smiled at her.

"Robin?"

"Do you remember when we were on Tameran the second night of the Bructhorg and we sat together watching the fireworks?" He asked.

Raven nodded.

"You had said that where you were from there weren't festivities like the Bructhorg. No fireworks or celebrations or anything… is there something that can be done to make sure she grows up with color?"⁴

Raven bit back a sob. Robin's hand quietly took her hand, in his face Raven could see that he was going to accept what had to be done, but she could also see that it hurt him as much to let her go as it did for her to go. She squeezed his hand, touched his arm, running her fingers up to the ridiculously green sleeve of his uniform. It had been modified to accommodate his growth, but was still in the same shape and patterns. Her eyes took in every inch of him. "I could show her one of your uniforms."

Robin smiled for her that smile that he only had when she looked into his eyes. She smiled back. "No, I'm sure I can get her something better than that… I have something better for you… to make sure you have color to remember me by."

Raven let Robin take his hand away from hers. She shook her head gently. "I could never forget you."

"I know… wait here a second."

Raven nodded. He left, he came back, he gave her a present.

"I waited four years to give you that… it still feels like a going away present but I need you to have this…"

"I'll keep it always." Raven said before opening the small box. In front of the mystic's eyes was a glimmering music box. The music it played was surprisingly gentle, as to not take away from the display of lights it produced. The colors rebounded off her purple irises painting soft blues and reds across her skin.

"I went back and bought it when you were talking with Blackfire… I had brought something else, but when I saw the way your eyes lit up when you looked at the music box, I knew it was a better gift."

"Don't say better. I'd like anything from your heart… what was the original gift? Can I have it?"

"I'm going to hold onto it… as a welcome home gift."

Raven smiled and nodded her acceptance. She gently closed the music box and walked backwards smoothly to sit down on her bed. The small box was warm and smooth in her hands; she kept her eyes on Robin as her fingers moved over the polished gift.

"This can make sure I have color too…" Raven said, looking up into his masked eyes.

Robin shook his head in disagreement. "No, that's not what I wanted to give you for that."

Robin reached to his face and pulled off his mask.

Raven dared to look up and met his beautiful brown eyes. They were a brown she was unfamiliar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if he was on the verge of tears. Raven couldn't tell which.

His brown-gold eyes sat perfectly framed by his features, the slant to his features was slighter than she had expected with his heritage, but she knew a thing or two about being surprised with the details of one's pedigree. Cloaked against his long black hair, she swore she would never see anything so wonderful again.

_You're beautiful… _She whispered to herself.

Robin smiled. _We have that effect on each other…_

…

They spoke for hours, this time it was calm. Last time he had wanted to yell at her, she wanted to yell at him, they both wanted time to stop for just a while so they wouldn't have to feel hurt at each other's touch, because they knew it would be a long time before they touched again. But Raven had said the things that Robin had to hear to give up his struggle.

º "You can't ask me to do this, Raven! You can't!" Robin held her shoulders firmly as his forehead pressed into hers.

"If there were any other way to keep her safe, I'd take it in a heartbeat."

"Then let me come with you! I can't let you leave me again!"

"You can't." Raven replied.

"Why not?"

"There are a lot of reasons… things are changing all over the world."

"I don't care about the rest of the world! I care about you!"

"You do so care… you care about everything enough to let me go."

"I can't let you go Raven. I can't. I can't."

"You have to… the Syndicate won't remain static and the Brotherhood of Evil is moving. I saw the monitor: young heroes are still disappearing. Titans are disappearing. You have to stay. The team needs you."

"What about you Raven? Don't you need me?" His voice and face were desperate, behind that mask, Raven knew there were tears. There had to be. She couldn't be the only person crying at that moment.

"If I could keep you with me always and keep this little girl safe from Trigon, I would do them both and for the rest of my life. But if you feel about me the way I feel about you, you'll believe this isn't our only chance to be together… but it's our only chance to protect her."

Robin's arms hugged around her, wrapping over her shoulders and pressing every inch of her into his body. He could feel that warm feeling inside her, it was so strong already: the connection Raven had with it was absolute. She was a woman, a mother and she would do nothing that would harm her child and because Robin had proved once before that he couldn't protect Raven when she desperately needed him to, there was no choosing between keeping her baby safe and staying with Robin… where he wanted her, where she wanted to be, where she belonged. º

…

Around the tower the others were trying their best to digest what Raven and Jinx had told them and what those things would mean for their team and the rest of the world. Beast King sat on the floor at Starfire's legs, his arm petted Celine's shoulder. Both red haired girls were putting a brave front, as if tomorrow they weren't going to let go of a part of their hearts again. Beast King was only able to stay strong for them because he had received a letter from his mother that day.

He had joined the girls in making a pack for Raven to take with her to Azarath, but they all felt awkward about. They had no way of knowing what Raven would need in her new life: they only knew what she needed in her old life: their friendship, their love, their all. Both red haired girls kept their hands steady and Beast King kept them steady as they worked in silence.

Beast King knew that Cyborg was helping Jinx with preparations as well and while he was happy for his friend to find a companion, he really wished he had the help. D'ucel was away from the tower because such sadness crippled his ability to function. But Beast King knew that Starfire was becoming more and more sensitive like Foxfire and considering that her own emotional outpours were unbearable, the added sorrow running though the other Titans kept Starfire close to tears.

_D'ucel's gone, Sakura's gone⁵, and Raven's going… Our family is changing again. We'll just have to wait for them to come back: D'ucel in a few days, Raven hopefully in a year… and Sakura just hopefully… In the meantime, after tomorrow… we're all going to be hurting again… I suppose I'll have to be stronger for everyone… For Starfire, for Celine, Speedy, Robin, Cy… all of us who are missing something close to our hearts…_

_I should be strong for myself first, if I'm going to help anyone._

…

In a few hours, when sunrise started, Raven would be leaving the tower and all the Titans would have to make their peace.

But in the sleeping hours, Raven's time was only Robin's. Falling asleep with Raven in his arms would be a memory that Robin would never forget.

And neither would Raven.

She felt him say it, as he held her close. He was foolish to think that keeping her in his arms would stop the terrible future… she wished she were fool enough to believe that as well. In his sleep he held her tight, his lips dry against the back of her neck. She would feel the words "I love you" against her body for everyday, every nightmare and sigh for the rest of her life. Raven held Robin's hand against her lips and wiped the tears from his fingers, from her cheeks.

All her life she had been prepared to be denied a wonderful future. What she hadn't been prepared for was having that wonderful future dangled outside her reach. She knew when she had decided to return to Azarath that she was going to lie to her baby and kill anyone who told her the truth. Her daughter was going to be a heroine. Her little life would spark valiantly, not as Trigon's Gate, but as the sealer of Trigon's doom.

She wished she could sleep better; it would be a long time before she could feel this warm again. Raven turned her body, her forehead lining up under Robin's lips. His arms remained tight around her middle, in his sleep his fingers ran across her lower back. His face was so handsome when he slept. _How am I supposed to let this go? _

_Because you have to… because it's inevitable, just like everything else in your life. _Raven closed her eyes.

Before, in those months where nothing could go wrong if she was in Robin's arms, HOPE would have surged in her and allowed her some alternate resource, something that could lead her to believe that staying on Earth would be best and that everything would be okay.

But SoRroW reminded her that she didn't have HOPE.

And that made all the difference between Raven doing what had to be done and Raven doing what was in her heart. Staying in bed, Raven slowly and thoroughly selected what she would take with her to Azarath: her dark energy selected her Iranda Scrolls, her Serene candles, the arrangement of sands that she had managed to find. She thought to include a few cloaks, but realized that the dark girl who was hiding from her future wasn't who she was anymore.

_I don't know who I am…_ Raven felt Robin smooth his thumb over the small of her back. _Except the girl who is walking away from the only good thing that has ever happened to her… the one thing my prophecy never predicted, the one thing it couldn't lie to me about. _

_I wanted to run away from so many things in my life… but one of the few things I want to hold onto I have to leave behind…_

If Raven had HOPE, she would have reminded herself that saving her child's future wasn't definitely a life long commitment. Someway, somehow she would stop the plot against the universe. And somehow, someway she'd get back the thing that made her believe that good things came to people who **did** good and not just to **good** people.

But SoRroW reminded her that she didn't have HOPE.

Robin whispered in his sleep. She couldn't make out the words, but his breath was warm against her forehead. Robin's breath used to be her inspiration. He had everything she needed to face all the worries of the day… he could show her how pretty the world was just by being in it. Robin had once said that he had enough hope for the both of them… unfortunately it was a supply that couldn't be shared.

And SoRroW reminded her that she didn't have HOPE.

…

"Are you sure this is how you want to do this?" Beast King asked.

The sun had just beaten the horizon, the gold and reds were spilling over the landscape. The T-car and Celine's jeep were loaded for bear. Cyborg, Jinx, Bumble Bee, Tempest and Blackfire rode in a pack, while Celine drove Raven, D'ucel Beast King and Starfire in a pack that wasn't nearly as quiet.

Most of the travel through the desert was quiet, it was only when they reached the way and the group removed Raven's pack and when Beast King's hand accidentally slipped over Raven's when he took her bag that he had to say something.

"I've only been sure of one thing my whole life and I'm leaving it behind." Raven whispered.

"He should be here Raven. He'll never forgive us for not---" Beast King interjected.

"It hurts my heart more than you could possible understand. If I saw his face before I entered the portal… I wouldn't be able to leave."

"Then don't leave!"

"Beast King, I have to and that's why it has to be this way."

Beast King nodded. _But I don't have to like it._

Their travel into the cave was rather short lived. Jinx stopped in front of a non-descript wall and the rest of the team stopped as well. They stood and watched every inch of what was before them. The cave looked like a million other caves. The walls were glittering with the tiny streams of water that ran off the mineral deposits: the walls were orange and pink and blue and purple, all shades were pastel. It looked like paintings they had seen in art galleries, on postcards, in action adventure movies. It was beautiful, if not common, and each of them wondered how a cave so common place could hold the end of a chapter in their life and begin another one as well.

Jinx turned her head to Raven and without looking back the two half-demonesses took a step forward. The fingers on their left hands rose smoothly, taking their arms to be parallel with the floor: Raven's eyes began to glow white, Jinx's pink.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." "Endari Ende Mortix."

The team stood and watched as the wall before them split open. The energy inside was purple; it waved out like the northern lights. It could have been beautiful it was obviously tragic. Cyborg helped Jinx slip her pack onto her back, his hand lingered on her slender shoulder for a moment longer than just-a-friend's would have. Jinx looked back on his hand, but she didn't touch it, didn't acknowledge it with anything more than a glance. She turned her head to Raven.

Beast King held out something to Raven and she took it silently.

"It's from all of us for the baby. Tell her it's from her uncle Beast King, Aunt Starfire… Celine, Cy, Speedy, Fox, Bumble Bee, Tempest, Blackfire **and** Sakura… we want her to know that we're her family."

"I'll make sure she knows every single day." Raven replied.

She hugged Beast King. He had to bend down so her face fell over his shoulder. Her gaze saw them all. Flashes of memories of them all came to her: the first time she met Tempest, the time she and Starfire switched bodies, helping Cyborg with the T-car, watching the sunsets with Blackfire, staying up late nights with Celine and the very first time she hugged Beast King.

It was with her head in Beast King's shoulder that all the memories of Robin came back to her as Robin approached on his R-cycle.

Jinx was just about to tell Raven that they should go when she too heard the rev and roar of the R-cycle. Raven pulled back from Beast King as they all turned to watch Robin's approach. The engine cooled with his body still straddling it. The Titans' leader pulled off his helmet and looked out on the expanse of his fractured team. There was a player between them that didn't belong: one that did belong was going away.

He walked to her and the others cleared a way so that the only thing between them was atmosphere. He stopped inches away from her and by reflex Raven raised a hand to touch him.

"Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?" Robin asked.

Raven nodded. "I didn't want to hurt you anymore."

"I'd take all the hurts in the universe to have as much time with you as I could. I know this hurts Raven, you don't have to put on a strong face for me."

"I do… otherwise I'll fall apart. I wish things could have been different." Raven whispered.

"This isn't forever." Robin replied.

"I know and that's all I have to keep me going… When I know my daughter is safe, Robin, I'll find my way back to you."

"Can you communicate with me at all when you're in Azarath?"

Raven seemed to think for a moment. "In my room is a purple book with all blank pages. Write on them with the pen that is enclosed… burn your letters in green flames and they will get back to me."

Robin nodded. He took her hand and looked into her eyes. Raven couldn't see the mask anymore. All she could see were the magnificent brown orbs he had revealed to her the night before. She knew she'd never be able to see him the same way she had. All her memories of Robin, all the ones that would keep her warm as the small life inside her came into her own, every single one of them would show Robin with his face revealed to her. And on some level Raven believed that he knew it.

"I have to go." Raven whispered.

"I know."

He revealed something to her, it was medium sized and wrapped tightly in bright cloth. Raven wondered where he had hidden it, but realized it didn't matter.

"It's for the baby. It will be too big for a long time… but I still want her to have it."

"Can you put it in my bag?"

Robin turned to Starfire and took her bag from her. He knelt down smoothly and opened the sack preparing to slip the gift inside. When the bag was opened to the light, he saw something that made his heart hurt just a bit. She had packed it, the singed bunny that he had given her four years ago when he realized what he felt about her. She had tucked it away safely; she wasn't going to leave without.

And Raven wanted him to know it.

Robin resealed the bag and slipped it onto her shoulder. He hugged her gently, letting his fingers trace her hairline, her cheeks, her chin and also down her neck. The purple eyed mystic felt his fingers linger on her shoulder. They seemed to tremble even in their stillness. Her arms wound around her belly and she felt him sigh.

"What will you name her?" Robin asked.

Raven shook her head. "The Azar names her"

"But…"

"Everyone of Azarath has a name in the Azarathian language and a common name… the mother can choose the common name"

"Have you chosen a common name?" Robin asked.

Raven seemed to hesitate. But eventually she shook her head in the negative.

That was when Blackfire fled, unable to bear the tragedy any longer. Tempest didn't call after her, just followed. Starfire caught D'ucel when he stumbled and, with Bumble Bee, escorted him to a safe distance. Celine touched Beast King and Cyborg's shoulder and with only one look back they left Robin, Raven and Jinx alone.

"How about Akane?"⁶

"What does it mean?"

"Why does it have to mean anything? It sounds pretty… anything else is a burden."⁷ Robin replied.

Raven put a hand on her stomach and nodded.

"Raven… what's your true name?"

Raven's whisper was caught gently on the wind. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. He tried it on his tongue but it wasn't nearly as wonderful.

"Only those with a tongue of Azarath can pronounce Azarath namings"

"We'll see." Robin replied. "I've known love to conquer everything even the language barrier."

A tear fell down Raven's face and gently Robin wiped it away. His hand stayed on her face, his thumb gently stroking her smooth cheek.

"We need to go." Jinx said, realizing the pair would gaze into each others eyes until the baby was born if she let them.

They both turned their eyes to regard Jinx and while Robin frowned, Raven pulled away. He would watch them. The two half-demonesses walked slowly, side by side into the cave mouth. They didn't look back. Their bodies would become shadows to his memory. He engraved Raven's silhouette in his mind and he swore he replayed her disappearing into the purple light in a continuing loop for the hour he stood there, in the place where he had last touched Raven.

When the hour passed and when Robin finally convinced himself that the door wasn't going to open again: that Raven wasn't going to run back and realize she had made a terrible mistake thinking she could leave his arms and have the heart to survive everyday…

That was when Robin walked away.

…

The team had waited for Robin's exit the entire hour. Tempest held a sobbing Blackfire, Cyborg sat next to Bumble Bee with his back against the T-car, Celine and Beast King were standing with their toes a few inches from Cyborg's feet. Star laid Foxfire in the back seat of Celine's jeep and waited at the back of the cab to calm her own emotional avalanche.

Robin came out and none of them who were sitting stood up, but they all looked to their leader. He didn't have anything to say. They all had a lot to think about.

Beast King kicked up a little sand as his boot gently tapped Celine's. The brown eyed girl looked up to meet his green ones.

"I suppose after this final report, the AGU will want you to return to HQ."

Celine shook her head in the negative. "I'm not going to be a member of the AGU for much longer … I'm going to be just a Titan."

"There's no **just** about it. There's still a lot of things that need to be settled and it will take a lot of our hearts and minds to get something done." Robin said, walking to erase the distance between himself and the center of his team. "We all have a lot of work to do… personal and otherwise."

Cyborg nodded. "Like taking care of the Brotherhood of Evil."

"The Doom Patrol could use as much help as it could get… I'm going to Africa to do what I can." Beast King decided.

Robin nodded. "Do what you think is best Beast King, but don't do it alone."

Bumble Bee raised a slender eyebrow. She turned to Celine, tapping her shoe the same way Beast King had. "You know, I'm sure we can convince the AGU that the Brotherhood of Evil is just as big a threat as Brother Blood… maybe we can help out without you having to give up something you love."

Celine frowned. "I don't love the AGU."

Cyborg cocked his head, his facial expression showed his disagreement. "Yes you do. It's in your blood."

"Cy, Bumble Bee, the Doom Patrol would love your help… And Celine, it's been a while since you saw Loberos and I bet my mom would love to see you again."

Celine didn't even think about it. She simply agreed.

Starfire stepped closer to her friends, her hand raised to her lips in worry. "It would be unwise for all of us to investigate the Brotherhood of Evil. Jump City and the City of Steel require our protection."

Blackfire agreed. "Some of us must stay and assist."

"I don't plan on leaving Speedy unattended." Tempest replied.

Blackfire turned to her boyfriend. "And I do not intend to leave you."

Something like hurt strung Robin at the affectionate display of worry. Some of the others might have seen his slight recoil, but none of them voiced their notice. "Then you two and Starfire and D'ucel will stay and monitor the city."

"What about you Robin?"

They knew that Robin was an emotional wreck despite his stone face. But Robin seemed mechanical in his answer. As if the response was programmed in him. "I've got a lot of work to do… but none of it will keep me in Jump or involves tracking down the Brotherhood of Evil. I can trust you all to handle that."

Starfire's green eyes wavered in worry. "Do you think it is in our best interest to isolate ourselves?"

Blackfire could feel that her sister feared the Rackmas.⁸ She felt it as well, already their lives had shifted in two days in such a way that many friendships would have been torn apart. Her fingers squeezed those of Tempest and the black haired girl wished there was someone to erase those fears in her sister, the way Tempest could with hers. Blackfire would have to stand and be strong for her sister. Koriand'r had always been sensitive and delicate but she no longer had naivety to protect her. Komand'r would have to protect her now.

"I think we should. We all have a lot of work to do and we have a long way to go to make sure what needs to be done is done. We can't stay in Jump City to protect it as the Titans when it's obvious that name doesn't apply to us anymore."

"Then we are… disbanding?"

Cyborg stood up slowly and Celine did as well. The Titans stood in a circle with Robin in the center and all their eyes on Starfire. Between their fingers they rolled their Titans' communicators. Cyborg touched a button on his communication panel and all their communicators danced to life.

"No, Star." Cyborg finally said. "We're just growing."

The answer seemed to satisfy her, though it was lost on no one that Starfire sat in the T-car rather than flew home as she was accustomed to. The Titans returned to the tower and prepared for their new directions.

The Titans separated temporarily, but really Robin was the only one who went away. The others stayed in packs. Star, Tempest, D'ucel and Blackfire remained in the tower with Speedy. Beast King took Cyborg, Celine and Bumble Bee with him to Africa, to see his mother, to see the Doom Patrol and to see his home.

The roar of the R-cycle hammered in Robin's ears only as the rubber tires peeled on asphalt and off.

_My team is growing again and I have to prepared to bring us all together when we need to: in a year I'll have to become everything they need… especially for Raven. She needed someone to protect her and I wasn't that man. I let her go because I had to, because I couldn't give her what she desperately needed: hope… I've got to become a man strong enough that Raven will never again fear to stay with me…_

_I've got to become a new man… _

End of Part One

A/N

¹Remember in "Of Fairs and Fairy Tales" when I told you that Raven and Robin and Baby do not make three? That's what that was all about. And the line Robin said to Raven is the same one he said to her in his vision.

²That's the line I used to allude to Cyborg and Celine's breakup. Makes up wonder who broke up with who.

³This is the same quote from HIVE MIND when Raven tried to heal Sakura and Holy rejected her. And so, Sakura sleeps on.

⁴Color is a big deal for Robin: they're tied closely to a lot of his memories and he wants to be tied closely to Raven and the baby.

⁵That's figuratively speaking. She's definitely not dead.

⁶Akane: Ah-kah-neh. It's Japanese and the significance is only that Robin picked the Japanese name to try to tie apart of himself to Raven's daughter.

⁷Any idea why?

⁸Reference to How Long is Forever


	48. String of Memory Part Two

String of Memory

Part Two

"You lied to them."

Raven nodded. Raven kept her stride even as she and her companion continued the narrow road of the Endari Moon Path. The colors were unreasonable, the gravel was bright green and the atmosphere was an unattractive purple. The mystic energies of countless demon auras were polluting the landscape in such a way that would have scarred the minds of human beings. Humans who traveled to the call of Azarath never took the Endari Moon Path.

Jinx continued. "And to him. Without heritage, burning those pages won't get them to their destination… they'll be lost forever."

It would be an hour's travel before they reached the gate of Rown and only a few hours after that to reach the gates of Azarath. Raven hoped that Astarte tu Jinx decided not to talk in the way she had decided was unnecessary, but Raven knew Jinx enough to know that no matter what Jinx's claimed intentions, Jinx liked to push Raven's buttons.

"I want you to shut up." Raven replied.

Jinx was not easily intimidated. "What you want and what one gets are usually two different things."

"So if I **want** you to live, you'll cease to exist?"

Jinx's steps faltered a moment and the pink haired demon got a good glimpse of Raven's back before she regained her ground and walked side by side with the other half-demonness.

"Raven, we were never friends and we probably will never be friends and I am pretty sure that that situation doesn't bother either of us. But we're in a situation that requires both of us at one-hundred and ten percent so if you harbor desires to end me, I suggest you exercise as much restraint as you are capable of."

"This journey would be a lot more endurable if you simply didn't speak." Raven replied. Her foot falls were perfectly even. Inhale, right step, exhale, left step.

"I have to talk. There's a lot of things you need to know."

"Like what?"

"I'm only going to tell you what you want to know when you tell me what I want to know."

"You said you had things I **need** to know. There's nothing you can tell me that I **want** to know." Raven bit out. She wasn't going to be manipulated by the likes of Jinx.

"Yes there are. Because you want to know everything: before me, you knew nothing." Jinx replied. Raven didn't reply. "You can't keep quiet forever. I know you."

"No, you don't. Nobody knows me." Raven answered.

"Except the people with the answers… and I'm one of the people with a part of those answers that you seek."

"I don't need you to find the answers. The Azar will know."

"You can't get to Azarath without me. You can't open the Gate of Rown. And the Azar has closed all metaphysical channels into Azarath."

Raven's footing faltered a half step, but she kept moving. She knew that Jinx noticed, but neither of them said anything of it. If Jinx brought it up, Raven wasn't sure to what extent she was willing to risk punishing Jinx for her trespass.

For a few moments the grey skinned girls walked in stark contrast to the Endari Moon Path. The scenery didn't change any more than it remained static. The flux of demonic aura was unrestricted: the gate keepers, from their posts miles away were not given a call to grant assistance to those who walked the path and thus made no action to still the youki that spun around the girls. Raven's natural power rebounded the dark matter away from her. If not for the small life inside her she wouldn't have been concerned enough to put up a barrier. Raven frowned, extending her barrier to cover Jinx. The pink eyed demoness didn't turn to look at Raven; she knew that Raven needed answers more than she needed to hate Jinx.

"Why would he do that?" Raven asked finally.

"I do not believe the Azar is the same as the witness of our birth… and this new Azar acts in reflection of your daughter's prophecy."

"Why do you care anyway? About what happens to my child?"

"Lots of reasons." Jinx replied.

Jinx stopped moving when Raven's barrier didn't push forward. She could have fazed through it, she had done it before, but she had a feeling that, like the last time she escaped a barrier of Raven's, that there would be consequences. Jinx turned back and looked to Raven. Her face was angry, but Jinx could still see purple eyes. She was controlling her fury, but control was something Raven was willing to relax when it came to Jinx.

"Give me one that will make me believe that I shouldn't still sleep with one eye open around you."

"You don't trust me." Jinx said simply.

"You've never given you a reason to."

"What about now?" Jinx asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Raven, we're going to have to be honest with each other from now on. We've got a lot of things in common and a lot of things to lose. But you have much more to lose than me. I'm willing to tell you my truths, but I want something back too. It's not much to ask and it will probably make our situation more bearable for both of us to talk before we get to Azarath. I won't lie to you and I won't promise that you'll like what you hear… but I've got a lot of world-shaking truths that you both need and want, so we're just going to strike a deal right here and now. Will you tell me one of your truths?"

_**Beat, Beat, Heartbeat…**_

Raven frowned. Jinx was right and there were few things in the world that made her angrier than Jinx or anything about her. But right now wasn't about anger and it wasn't even about Jinx, it was about making sure Raven had everything she needed to protect her daughter. "Only after you tell me one of yours."

Jinx moved forward, accepting the terms. Raven moved forward as well, keeping the barrier around both of them. "The reason I care about you is luck. I got lucky when you were born."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Jinx's smile irritated Raven. Raven was becoming increasingly more aware of her capacity to exercise restraint. "Too cryptic?" Jinx asked, "I'll make it clearer… You have a terrible birthright… Considering that it would have been **me** hadn't you been born… I'd say I have a rather large obligation."

"What?"

Jinx continued to walk forward. "You know who I am… And you should be able to put this all together by now. So figure it out. Besides, my telling you would be another truth. Before you get your second, I should get my---"

Raven reached out firmly and grabbed Jinx's arm. She pulled hard, making sure the pink haired anti-heroine stopped and looked her in the eye. Jinx's pink eyes were mischievous, Raven's were furious and one of them was in serious danger of being struck down where she stood. Raven made sure Jinx was aware that it was her. "Start talking." Raven ground out.

"Why did you lie to Robin?"

"It's not your concern."

"It's what I want to know. You do plan to come back?"

"Yes" Raven replied. Her voice wasn't holding up as bravely as she wished. If their situations had been different, when Jinx and Raven were younger before either of them knew any truths or consequences, Jinx would have ridiculed Raven for the weakness in her voice. The desperation in her eyes would have given Jinx a laugh and hearing Raven submit to her would have satisfied her for days.

But the days of childishness were over. They were women and the both were major players in the programmed destruction of the earth. The filling womb of Raven made her the active player.

Jinx's wrist fazed free of Raven's grip. The purple haired girl balled her empty fist. But she waited and Jinx spoke.

"You and I are more alike than you ever would have guessed. We're both daughters of Azarath, born from the sire of demon kings and inheritors of tremendous power… But the difference between you and me is that at the moment of our creation, my mother wanted to bear the spawn of Doomgaze. She knew what it meant and what was intended and no one lied to her about the consequences. She wanted to bring about the end of the world and she was going to use me to do it… but in her destructive eagerness, she made a mistake. When I was born, I was pre-empted by a twin brother. My mother made Laseri and Astarte and a male birth is an inherent mistake in design. I was born to be an energy store for Doomgaze. Because my brother was born, I wasn't as strong as I was supposed to be."

"Doomgaze was wounded in the **War of Light and Dark**. He was reduced to near death."

"He had the strength to produce a life, he couldn't find a strong virgin to Transient and he wouldn't have survived the energy steal to produce one… so he reproduced by the traditional sire that demons use… the same one your father used to make you… but you weren't flawed… you were useable and all of Azarath knew it."

"Your mother had been brought to Azarath by the Azar to be born off of the Earth world. They looked into your future and they saw me?" Raven's brow furrowed.

Jinx shook her head. "Not my future. Laseri's… Originally there was no great design for my brother, he should have never existed… but one of Doomgaze's servants found out about him and immediately knew what to do… The two of us could provide to power to energize Doomgaze…"

"But not free Trigon."

"My father wouldn't be satisfied to rule the world without some competition. It was his eternal drive to combat Trigon that let the warriors of light: Jericho, Azar Metrion, Grave and the Devine Master to nearly collapse his life… of course, Trigon wasn't concerned with giving life to Doomgaze again, he simply wanted to reign. So he made you."

"Why would they need my child to do what they needed to done?"

"It's the flaw of demon sire. You weren't perfect either." Jinx replied.

"I don't have a twin."

"No, but you had a reluctant mother. She brought you to Azarath to protect you and Azar saw away to save your future."

"To destroy Laseri?" Raven asked.

"I don't believe the Azar would have done such a thing… but when your future was read, my mother fled Azarath to Endari where she met Washu."

"But my prophecy has been a lie from the beginning."

"That's why we're going to Azarath, for all the truths. I figure, to our faces, they can no longer lie."

"But how do **you** fit it **now**?"

Jinx didn't falter a single step. "A combination of a sense of revenge, redemption and curiosity… I want to know if my brother had to lose his life to do this thing, if there is any way to erase Doomgaze from existence under my own power and to determine how much punishment I must deal out to Washu for his trespasses against me."

"Against you?"

"He killed my brother… isn't that enough?" Jinx asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And your mother from the way you speak… he's also done something to you… why weren't you enslaved like Tetris was?"

"When you were born and we found out what you could do… Washu didn't have a use for me anymore. He threw me aside and when my mother protested, he killed her."

"This is more revenge than anything else."

"Think of me how you wish, but I loved my brother and my mother and I don't want the world to end. That baby inside you is my niece and I want to make sure she lives good and long so I can teach her all about her father."

"Her father is Robin."

They both stopped side by side, realizing their arguing and truth telling hadn't stopped their pace. They had reached the first road block: the gate that required Jinx's birthright to access. The pink haired demoness turned her eyes to Raven.

"Why did you lie to him?"

"Because if I didn't, he'd lose hope… and that is something in my power that I could prevent."

Jinx turned back to the portal gate, her eyes were a light.

"Endari Ende Mortix!"

The first gate slid open and the demon pair slid inside.

…

He reached Gotham City with nothing in his bag except a change of civilian cloths, a purple book and three green candles. The roads didn't have sharp turns or too much traffic so he was able to reach the far east end of the capital of the world with relatively little distraction. He might have seen Barbara Gordon, but he didn't notice and he didn't actually care. His helmet was secured and his pack was tied down as he took the deep and only dangerous turn in Gotham: the one that lead to the Bat Cave.

Alfred greeted him without a hint of surprise on his face. Robin hadn't told him he was coming, but in his cool way Alfred seemed to know more than any person rightly should. Robin declined to let Alfred take his bag, but did allow the elderly gentleman to lead him to Bruce.

Robin had arrived in one of the few hours when Bruce Wayne was home and wasn't sleeping or preparing for other nocturnal activities. The billionaire of legend looked more surprised to see Robin than Alfred was, but that was still to say without much.

"Good evening Richard."

"Bruce."

"Take off your mask or at least put on some civilians."

"I was hoping instead of me dressing down that you would dress up." Robin replied.

Bruce frowned and stood up. Richard Grayson, the man behind the Boy Wonder, had grown considerable. Bruce had noticed during his last visit, but something new had arisen, something that required Richard to grow up faster. Given his protégé's life history so far, Bruce knew that that something had to be tragedy.

"I told you a year ago that I was retiring from the vigilante business." Bruce replied.

"I didn't believe you."

"I don't know why you would… How is Sakura?" Bruce asked.

Robin dropped his head to the side. His profile was highlighted by the lamp on Bruce's desk. Behind his mask his eyes were squeezed shut, but he knew Bruce could see through it. "Sleeping, beautiful, safe, no different."

"And Raven?"

Robin turned his head down, before slowly removing his mask. It was the first time in a long time that Bruce had seen Richard's tears.

"I came here for help Bruce. You showed me before… Show me again… show me how to become what she needs."

"I don't know what she needs." Bruce replied.

"She needs me to be stronger… show me that at least."

ºThe five original members of the Doom Patrol were Rita Farr, Steve Dayton, Larry Trainer, Cliff Steele and Nathanial Logan. The fivesome had a unique set of abilities: Steve's mind, Rita's body, Larry's energy, Cliff's power and Nathanial's influence on the seeds and the trees. The young Nathanial, like his father, was a medicine man, able to derive potions and tonics from medicinal herbs and seeds.

Larry Trainer had first learned of Nathanial's ability to make plant life move and grow on accident, when he needed his life saved. In pursuit of the Brotherhood of Evil, Negative Man had been isolated from his party and actively pursued by an agent of evil. He ran swiftly, his feet splashing and muddying the waters of Tomango. A laser beam struck him, knocking him a good thirty feet: his head slamming into a rock and his body sinking in the water.

He didn't know how many seconds, minutes or eons he had spent under the water, but he was aware that the laser beams had stopped and there was a hand reaching into the water and pulling him out. Negative Man groaned and rubbed his head, at the same time pulling water grasses from his bandages. There were two hands on his shoulder, when Larry Trainer turned to see who belonged to them; he got a good glimpse of something that made him totally unconcerned with the **who** but rather the **what**.

In his dark eyes he could see the giant robot that pursued him was entangled in a mass of water vines and grasses, similar to those on his bandages. The plants were still moving, constricting and restraining the agent of evil. Negative Man's mouth dropped open, as much as it could considering, he openly stared as the plants continued to whip out from the water and take the robot down.

He also became increasingly aware of the grasses on his body.

"Do not be alarmed. I cannot control the plants to do harm to those who do good. I can only ask them to do good against those who do harm."

Negative Man watched the robot finally topple over and short circuit beneath the water. "You did that?"

Negative Man turned his bandaged face and caught a glimpse of a handsome African boy nodding. Negative Man made to say thank you, but instead passed out.

He woke up half slung against the same boy's shoulders as the much younger fellow traveled by foot. He groaned a little and the boy turned his head.

"I'd tell you to not try to talk, but you probably won't listen... You must have gotten some of the Clear Water Fever from Tomongo. It guards as best it can against bad people but sometimes it makes mistakes."

"How do you know I'm not a bad person?" Negative Man asked.

"I can tell. Bad guys are never chased by the big robots. Besides, I already know who you are."

"And who am I?" Negative Man asked.

"You're the guy I'm taking home to cure the Clear Water Fever from and share my bread."

"You gotta name kid?" Negative Man asked, supporting more of his own weight on his own feet. The boy was only three-quarters his size and skinner than a bean pole. He didn't seem to lack for determination, but all the determination in the world couldn't replace muscle.

"My name's Nathaniel Logan. Everyone calls me Spar."

"Spar?"

"The plant talker… its an old legend around these parts… but since you're obviously not from around here, I'd be glad to tell you… we've got a little while until we reach my house."

"If you've got the time, I'm all ears."

By the time Nathaniel finished his story, Negative Man was walking on his own might but the fever Spar had warned him of was affecting his vision. The pair approached a large sequoia tree, the largest one in the area, though the entire forest was scarce and the sequoias all looked out of place.

"How much longer 'til we get to a place where I can lay down?" Negative Man asked.

"We're here." Spar replied.

"We're at a tree."

The blue eyed boy nodded. He opened the door without using his hands and eased Negative Man into the living room. Negative Man collapsed in the center of the floor, suddenly unable to hold his weight.

"Just as I thought: Clear Water Fever. I'll get my medicines."

Spar left him to lie unmoving in the center of his living room. Negative Man could hear voices, one was Spar's the other was decidedly a female. The owners of both voices tended to him and within an hour Negative Man had ingested a tonic that purged his system. When his vision cleared, Larry Trainer saw a vision in the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her smile was gentle, her eyes were brown and her skin was flawless. If Negative Man had the capacity to blush, he might have.

"You're alright then?" She asked.

Negative Man nodded. "Yeah thanks."

"You're probably starving. I just made stew and there's more than enough. Nathanial, I'll make bowls. Make sure our guest is comfortable."

Spar nodded and helped Negative Man sit up. He could see that while the stranger appreciated his help, he was much more occupied with someone else.

"She's beautiful isn't she?"

Negative Man nodded dumbly then realized that Nathaniel had a knowing smile. "She's your wife?"

Spar laughed. "No, that's my mom, Sinora."

"Your mom? She doesn't look a day over eighteen. Awful cute to have a son your age."

"I'll let her know you think so." Spar replied.

"Dinners ready!" Sinora called from the kitchen. Spar helped Negative Man to the kitchen at sat him at the earthen table and the lovely Sinora Logan placed down a bowl of the best dinner he had in a long while.

"So, Negative Man, why were those agents of evil after you?" Sinora asked.

"You can call me Larry, Sinora… and it wasn't so much that they were after me as I was after them." Negative Man replied.

"Why are you after them, Larry?" Spar asked.

"You can call me Negative Man." Larry replied and both the younger boy and his mother laughed. "My team, the Doom Patrol, has been actively pursuing the Brotherhood of Evil for years. I'm guessing their strong hold is somewhere near here considering that while there are a lot of pretty things around here," Whether Larry's gaze shifted to Sinora or not was something that couldn't be discerned by his hosts, "Nothing is really happening out here."

"That's not true. My husband was a member of a resistance regime against the Brotherhood of Evil." Sinora said.

"Oh, you're married then?"

"Widowed, the resistance was… annihilated under the machinations of General Immortis and the rest of the Brotherhood of Evil."

"I'm sorry to hear that… is there anything left of the resistance?"

Spar shook his head. "The Brotherhood is thorough… but not infallible. I've been looking for a way to step up against them, but by myself there's little I can do."

"You? You're just a kid." Larry replied.

"Childhood ingenuity is invaluable. You'll find my son to be incredibly creative." Sinora replied.

"What do you know?" Larry asked turning to Spar.

"Lots. What do you?"

"Little. Wanna make that difference a bit more even?"

Spar told, Negative Man listened and Sinora kept mostly out of sight, expect that Larry Trainer was constantly and consciously looking to make eye contact with her. The Doom Patrol was collected and brought to the Logan home and it became obvious to Steve Dayton that Negative Man was considering adding Nathaniel Logan to the roster of the Doom Patrol.

"I don't like it." Mento replied.

"The kid's smart and he knows a lot about the area. He knows a lot of stuff we don't know."

"Smart isn't enough. We're in a battle, not a video game. There will be times when the Doom Patrol will have to fight." Mento stated firmly.

"Does he have any talents?" Elasti-girl asked.

"I can make plants grow. It was my power that made this tree and all the trees around here. It took me less than an hour to reforest the area around Tomongo after an agent of evil torched it in a fight. I'm also a medicine man. I play medic for the village." The fourteen year old replied.

"Can you leave them behind, Nathaniel?" Elasti-girl asked.

"There's more than one medic for the surrounding area." Sinora replied.

"What about your ma kid?" Mento asked, jutting a thumb to the pretty woman.

"She'll be fine."

"A pretty thing like her will have no problem getting along." Cliff added.

Spar tapped Rita's shoulder. "Could you ask your male counterparts to stop ogling my mother?"

Within days Spar was prepared to join the ranks of the Doom Patrol. He gave his mother a kiss goodbye, Rita gave Sinora a hug, Mento walked forward without a look back, Cliff gave Sinora a long stare for memory and Larry left the beautiful woman with a promise.

"I'll take good care of your boy." He said.

Sinora smiled. "Who's going to take care of you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We'll see… when this mission is over, I'll bring Spar back… and I wouldn't mind any more of that good cooking of yours."

"I'll be sure to have a bowl waiting for you, Negative Man."

"Larry. What's it going to take for you to say my name?"

"Look out for my son and I promise to work on it."

"Deal."º

…

Cyborg landed the T-ship just feet away from a giant sequoia tree. The four hatches opened smoothly and Beast King all but leapt out. Cyborg helped Celine down and Bumble Bee fluttered above the pair, watching Beast King run ahead.

"This is Beast King's home?"

Celine nodded. The team took a run to catch up with Beast King and stood in a straight line behind him when he entered. The warm feeling hadn't left. Bumble Bee and Cyborg felt it immediately, even in their first intake of air. Celine felt the air rush out of her when a flash of blue fur leapt forward and tackled her. She landed with a solid thud, a warm dry tongue licking her face.

"Loberos. I missed you too." Celine said, scratching the beast under his chin.

"Mom!" Beast King called from the living room.

Sinora exited the kitchen, wiping her hands dry on a towel. Her smile lit up and Cyborg blushed at the beautiful woman.

"Garfield, you made it. Dinner is still cooking."

"We can wait. Mom, this is Cyborg and Bumble Bee."

"It's a pleasure ma'am." Bumble Bee said. Cyborg nodded dumbly.

_Just once I'd like to bring a friend home and not have him fall over my mother… _Beast King hugged his mother and let her look over his new persona. She pinched his cheek and the green morph smiled at her.

"I called the Doom Patrol, they should be here by the time dinner is ready."

Celine pulled herself up from the floor. "Do you need any help setting up Sinora?"

"No thank you Celine."

The foursome stayed in the living room and the pair that had never been in Beast King's home entertained their curiosity. Cyborg's eyes traveled up and down the arrangements of photographs, stopping when he landed on a series of unfamiliar faces. He picked up one picture containing Sinora, Negative Man and a blue eyed boy that Cyborg didn't know. Beast King looked over his shoulder.

"Larry and my mom go way back." He said.

"Who's that?" Cyborg asked, pointing to the blue eyed boy.

"That's my brother, Nathanial." Beast King replied.

Cyborg frowned. "You never talked about him."

Beast King took the photo and put it back. "There was nothing to say."

Bumble Bee tilted her head. "Are we going to meet him?"

"Sure."

Celine frowned but followed behind Beast King as he led them outside. He turned to Bumble Bee. "I'm going to need your help. Celine, hold onto me. Bee, bring Cy would you?"

Beast King morphed into a phoenix and secured Celine on his back as he took flight. Cyborg latched onto Bee's wrist and the flight-gifted Titan followed at a close distance to the beautiful bird. For a moment it was obvious that Beast King was looking for something. When he found it, he motioned for Celine to climb from his back onto a steady branch. She slid onto it cautiously, balancing her weight so it, combined with Cyborg's, didn't collapse the branch.

Beast King morphed to his natural state and perched on a lower branch and pointed upwards, taking their gaze to a branch just above their heads.

"Every year this bud grows on the tree, it's always this color but never in the same place. Its blue like his eyes were… my mother presses them and puts them in a book. It's like a birthday card or memorial… My brother died in pursuit of the Brotherhood of Evil, before my mom adopted me."

"That's why your family is so close to the Doom Patrol…"

He leapt up, gently jostling the branch that held Celine and Cyborg's seating until he landed crouched near the gentle blue bud. He didn't seem sad or happy to look at the gentle flower beginning.

"The Doom Patrol is my family. Just like the Titans." Beast King replied.

"Looks like a family reunion is coming."

Cyborg turned their attention to the base of the Sequoia tree that was the Logan household. The four members of the Doom Patrol: Mento, Elasti-girl, Robotman and Negative Man approached by foot. Negative Man looked up and saw the group of four looking down at his group of four. He turned his head back down and followed behind his team. Beast King looked and watched them go, before taking Celine into his arms and returning to the ground.

…

"Washu was born in the Ring of Azarath, but not in Azarath. He was from Endari but the gate of Rown rejects his energy. If he were going to stop us, he missed his window." Jinx replied. "But something tells me he's not going to chase you."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Don't know. But he isn't stupid; he's got a plan somehow to get you and the baby back."

"Is there no guarantee that his plan doesn't extend to Azarath?" Raven asked.

"Nothing extends to Azarath. Only from it. Azarath is the center of the universe's truths."

"Yet they're capable of the universe's greatest lies."

Raven and Jinx's journey to Azarath had about two hours left in it and for the most part the journey to cover that ground was uneventful, but hardly quiet. Their truths were being exchanged, but Raven felt still as if she were learning less than what Jinx actually knew. Jinx was getting her fill of Raven's personality, picking up parts of her from her questions and answers and even more so from the way she kept her hair braided and arms wrapped around her middle.

"How do you feel?" Jinx asked.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question." Raven replied.

"Understood. I won't ask it again."

The two moved mostly in silence from that point on until they reached the Gate of Azarath. Raven let her face show her awe. Years of memories washed back to her as her purple eyes took in the gate to the dark land of Azarath. It was as if life was proving to come full circle: the circumstances of her birth started out as tragic within the gates before her eyes, over the years her life was constantly in a struggle: to control her powers, to fight off the advances against her life, to swallow her rage when bitter feelings were directed at her. She hated Azarath, hated everything it stood for and everything it would mean.

But that was her life, constantly doing what she hated: being hurt, being weak, hurting her friends… Raven slipped the pack from her shoulders, uncoiling her arms from around her middle. She had felt her stomach dance a little, growing in a few hours the way it would have in days in a normal pregnancy. Jinx took Raven's bag and watched the purple haired girl close her eyes as she took in a deep breath.

Raven raised an arm and faced the encrypted portal door. Before she spoke a word the gate responded to her presence: a youki equalizing power; one of the best defenses of the monks of Azarath, pushed through the air. Lesser demons might have been destroyed or at the very least bothered by the power. Jinx held the bags, her eyes flushing pink as she held her ground. Raven kept her arm raised and her eyes clear.

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."

The energy flushed around her, pulling her hair free from its braid. The long locks twisted in the spiraling wind, blinding her at moments and flying behind her in others. The gate began to groan as Raven continued to hold her spell. It pulled and moaned and eventually gave in. The energy fight ended and Raven dropped her magic.

Jinx held onto the bags as she and Raven continued to move forward. The gate slid closed the moment Jinx cleared the threshold. The loud and swift closure echoed through the tormented land of Azarath. It was barer than Raven had allowed herself to remember. Every inch of Azarath was brown or grey or a dull, unattractive blue. Most of the houses were one-story rounded hovels, windows cut in them for the purpose of curiosity, not light. The hamlet was arranged in an open circle, with all the paths leading to the Temple of Azar, where all the books were kept, where the monks studied and where the Azar lived. The temple was where Raven anticipated spending most of her time, either the books or in the mind of Azar Metrion. He had a lot explaining to do.

Raven made it to the center of Azarath, standing in the grave bare square that was the only open location in the desolate plateau of Azarath. She stopped there, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. Standing directly in front of her, and slowly and cautiously wrapping around her and Jinx at a safe distance, were monks and citizens of Azarath.

Many of them she recognized. Many she had hoped she'd never see again. All their faces were held in displeasure or unmasked hostility as if she were a trespasser into their otherwise beautiful lives. But life was anything but beautiful to those who lived in Azarath: everyone born in the land of Azar had great responsibility, destructive or otherwise, but no one's responsibility was greater than Raven's.

She stood directly in front of Raven, her eyes were dark and her features were equally hard. Her hair was peppered brown and white, the short strands were pinned back with dark clamps that were lost in the dark brown of her tresses. Her eyes focused on Raven's face for a moment before traveling down her body and slowly making a return trip. Raven sneered as she was evaluated by the one face she never wanted to see again.

"Raven." The woman sneered her name as if it were a curse word.

"Katora." Raven replied, her voice equally bitter. "Clear the way. I have nothing to say to you."

"You are no person to direct what I do. You've enacted your life legend I see. The demon portal has been accepted by your retched blood."

"It would do you good, Katora, to remember that my **retched blood** entitles me to great power, the kind that can easily destroy the likes of you."

"If anything is to be destroyed it is the destruction in your gut." Katora replied.

Raven's eyes flared and the ring of Azarath citizens stepped back as an outpour of her energy fanned out from her, covering the brown ground with her black energy.

"You still itch so terribly for the life of a child, Katora? Do you decide, because you birthed a legend, which can live and what should end?"

"You would know about legendary births." Katora replied. Katora was a human woman, with a high sense of self importance and if not for the way she exercised it, that self importance would have been considered rightly so. Most women would have trembled at Raven's outpour of power, in truth Jinx was more than afraid and she knew she was at the very least granted immunity for the moment.

"And yet in your infinite wisdom you were never named Azar. I wonder how much you even know Katora."

Katora prepared to retort even as it became clear to Jinx that Raven would have truly exercised her demon right if Katora dared another word. But Raven's retaliation was cut short when she saw her destructive energy, spilled and whipping against the land, was being dissipated by an invisible energy. Her eyes lost their flair as she took in the sight of her magic being cursed away by a more powerful magic.

The crowd parted behind Katora as two figures approached.

"That is enough Katora."

Raven knew that voice and she knew that face. She walked forward, her white robe was pushed back from her face, her slanted purple eyes were both soft and hard as she looked between Raven and Katora. It was another human woman, who too, knew about the birthing of legends.

"Arella." Raven said. Her stance relaxed as her mother gave Katora a warning eye before approaching her daughter. She looked her over, touched her cheek and hugged her daughter in a few seconds.

"Raven." She whispered.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Arella, who dispelled my energy? Neither you nor Katora have the power."

Arella turned her head back and Raven's eyes focused on the other woman who had appeared in front of Katora. She was demon, her skin was a shade of grey only slightly darker than Raven's own. Her eyes were light green and intelligent. Her hair was pinned up, the thick red locks fell across her authoritative headdress and over her pastel green cape. Her underdress was blue and white; she wore all the color of Azarath. Her face was older than Raven remembered, her hair much longer, her body filled out like a woman's. But she did remember her and she remember Raven.

"Dear friend," the demoness bowered her head gently. "I had hoped our reunion would be under much happier circumstances…" Her voice was calm, but loud and clear.

Raven's face showed her surprise when the identity of the woman in front of her was undeniable. "Sabrah."

Sabrah nodded. "Welcome home Lethe."

End of Part Two

A/N

Sabrah and Katora are the two people that were mentioned in Raven's vision during Engraved Invitation.

The importance of Katora's "legendary birth" will be explained in later parts and will make a few more appearances.

Raven's Azarathian name is Lethe. This was hinted at in Terra Nostra part Three and whenever Raven went to Nevermore and spoke Azarathian, they always referred to her as Lethe. It was the only word that has been repeated in the nonsense language I created.

Sabrah's image is posted at Photobucket.


	49. String of Memory Part Three

String of Memory

Part Three

His foot stepped lightly, right over the left. The toe and heel were bare; the arch was aided by a supporter that stopped just over his ankle. The color was blue, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that foot touched the ground silently and rose off again without shifting the wind.

Bruce Wayne stood with his eyes closed in the pitch black room. Not a single drop of sweat had left his body in the thirty minutes he had been sparring, despite the heat of the room. He had barely moved except to parry once and counterattack, but that had been nearly ten minutes ago and he anticipated it would be another five before his opponent struck again.

His long black hair was free against his back, knowing that despite the absolute stillness of the room that the movement of his uncontrolled tresses wouldn't give him away. That was something he had possessed even before he was trained by Bruce Wayne, he had always had presence of body.

Richard Grayson had trained for weeks to the point of exhaustion. He hunted for criminal activity at night and had become a new legend in the streets of Gotham after months of the city becoming accustomed to surviving with no night justice.

The nineteen year old had abandoned Robin and taken to the night as a fighter with no name and no identity to speak of. His clothes were black his hair was black and so was his mask and his mind state.

His mind state was why he Bruce had put on a gi and insisted that they spared that night. Bruce had all but rejected Richard's plea to help him, but allowed his protégé all of his resources to find some sort of satisfaction.

What Bruce found was that he had created a monster.

ºBruce and his companion entered Commissioner Gordon's office just before the older gentlemen was preparing to leave.

"Bruce, what are you doing here?"

"I have a favor to ask you."

"Must be a doozy if you had to come here to ask." He replied.

"It's a big order, but not one you're unfamiliar with." Bruce answered.

Commissioner Gordon stroked his beard for a second: if it were any other man it might have taken him a bit more information to understand what was being asked of him. But it was Bruce Wayne and so there really were no questions to ask.

"You want to come back?"

"Not me. Another player is back for the nights of Gotham." Bruce replied.

"Robin?" He asked.

Bruce shook his head. "I'm no longer in the business of training birds."

Commissioner Gordon hated it when Bruce became cryptic like that. "Then who is this?"

Bruce turned his head and his companion stepped forward.

"Call me Darkwing."

"Dark… wing?"

"I'm imperfect. Calling myself Robin would imply that I'm a whole being… instead I'm a being with a hole in him."

Commissioner Gordon sat back down into his chair. He pushed his glasses higher onto his nose. "And that hole can be satisfied with vigilante justice?"

"Nothing can satisfy that hole: nothing I'll find in the night, nothing I'll find in Gotham… nothing on this plain of the universe… but it will calm it. Make the wound less dangerous."

"Less dangerous to whom?"

"No one who is good will fear me. And as I grow stronger there will be less of those who fear period."

Commissioner Gordon rubbed the palm of his thumb over the fleshy part between his thumb and index finger on the opposite hand. He looked at Bruce, then looked at Darkwing, then down at his hands. "Will I need a new signal? I got rid of the Bat signal at Bruce's request."

Darkwing shook his head in the negative. "I won't need a sign. I'll be aware of every dark thing in this city."

Commissioner Gordon frowned. "No one is aware of everything."

Darkwing crossed his arms over his chest. His black clad arms covered the bright blue symbol on his chest. "We'll see."º

That had been where it started. Where they currently were was a mess.

The diving kick was easy enough to counter. Bruce caught Darkwing's leg and delivered a counter elbow, striking the younger fighter in the ribs. Bruce found each of Darkwing's thrusts and lunges and returned his assault with a brutal message. After a dozen or so counters, Darkwing's movements became blind and Bruce realized that he might have to beat the message into his student to get him to learn.

He grabbed the slightly shorter fighter, shifting the fighter's weight with a sweep. When the flexible fighter turned to escape, Bruce dropped his weight onto the other man's back, sending them to the floor. No amount of squirming could release the pin, Bruce captured Darkwing's lower half and secured his pin with an ankle lock.

"Enough." Bruce commanded and the lights in the training room switched on. Neither of them had to look up to see Alfred pressing the control panel to activate the lights. The Bat Cave was flooded with light; enough of them were focused on the heat that it generated a spotlight over the pair.

"It's not enough!" Darkwing replied, gritting between his teeth.

"Your pursuit of vengeance is unsatisfiable! This isn't a cure or an answer!"

"You were vengeance once. You should understand!" Darkwing squirmed, cautious in how his body turned, with a simple twist Bruce could break his ankle and he knew his mentor wasn't against the execution of that attack.

"I do understand and I also grew up!" Bruce replied, twisting the ankle tightly. Darkwing gritted his teeth to keep from yelling out. "You've become a menace, not a hero. Catching those who do wrong isn't the same as executing judgment on them."

"Every street atrocity is a crime. Those that hurt others should be punished."

"Does Raven deserve to be punished?" Bruce asked.

Darkwing's lips curled and the black haired boy found the opening to plant his free foot into Bruce's chest. The sharp blow allowed him to twist his body free from his mentor's hold. With his momentum he rolled clear of Bruce, turning a handspring and landing in a full crouch, his masked eyes gazing with no fondness at his teacher.

Bruce stood to his full height. He looked down at his long haired counterpart. "You've done this before and it got you no satisfaction. You're on the path to being a gray son again."

Darkwing sneered. "It's who I am."

Darkwing dove forward. Alfred flinched: he would have a devil of a time cleaning up the glass. The display case that held the retired Bat suit and Boy Wonder garb was fractured and destroyed as Darkwing's body sailed through it courtesy of a counter throw from Bruce Wayne. Darkwing rolled, crushing glass before catching a stop on his chest. He raised himself weakly to his hands and knees, one arm reaching back to hold his wounded side.

"That's not who she needs you to be!" Bruce yelled. Darkwing panted and his mentor walked forward. "Do you want to become a Deathwing? Do you think when Raven comes back that she'll trust you to protect her?"

Richard pulled his mask off and looked up at Bruce. "Show me how to survive this!"

"Why don't you know already?"

"Because… I'm afraid. When my parents died, there was absoluteness about it. I could push that all back to function. But I can't do that with Raven."

"Do you think I could with Sakura? Every day I have to accept the fact that my daughter is in a coma because I wasn't there."

"You couldn't have known." Richard said, pulling himself to his feet.

"And could you?" Bruce asked.

"No…"

"And that's the first lesson. Get up; clean this mess up so Alfred doesn't have to."

"And then?" Richard asked.

"Then go to bed." Bruce replied, turning to walk away. Then as a last minute thought, his voice threw over his shoulder. "And no thinking."

…

Arella's purple eyes had always been sad in their disposition. Her lips were usually in a straight line, if not a frown. She tended to be the kind to sink into the background, despite her beauty and intelligence.

Like mother, like daughter.

Arella stood in the door of her clay built home and watched her daughter from a distance. Raven sat in Arella's rocking chair and Arella remembered sitting the same way when her belly was heavy with child. But when Arella sat, she had been nervous, her hand constantly touching her stomach, rubbing the warm spot with worry as if she took her hand away the little life would disappear: when Raven sat in the chair she was reading, she always had a scroll unfurled or a book open. She only caught Raven touching her filling stomach once or twice when she thought she was alone.

Raven had been living with Arella for thirteen days. It had been quite the argument to convince Raven that she didn't need her own home when Arella had an empty room that she was familiar with. Despite her fragile appearance, Arella could hold her ground against opposition; she had faced Katora's insults and slurs for years: she could handle her own daughter.

º"You can not do this alone." Arella said.

"I've done everything alone my whole life."

"I wish you would forget your sense of betrayal for a few moments and listen to me."

"Forget? How could I forget? I feel it all the time Arella. I see it in your eyes and every time I look down I see it."

"Raven…" Against the dark brown and grey background of Arella's home, their purple eyes seemed to shine like diamonds: especially when sad, especially when close to tears.

"Did you know? The true prophecy?" Raven asked.

Arella nodded. "I do not regret giving you life… I only wish that the circumstances behind your birth had been better for you."

"If you would have told me, I could have… I could have prevented the Transient." Raven whispered, though in the back of her mind she knew that that statement might not be true. Her mind had never been able to conquer her body.

"Raven, your virginity only facilitated the Transient. No matter your caution any daughter you had would surrender to Trigon."

"I will not allow my daughter to be a victim to him."

"And I believe that… That's why I wouldn't let them tell you the truth… I refused to let them take away the chance of love…"

"But you lied to me." Raven replied.

Arella touched her daughter's shoulder. "I didn't want you unprepared."

Raven stared into Arella's eyes hard. "Nothing prepares you for a child."

"I know that better than you do."º

Raven lost that argument and stayed in Arella's house.

Arella often watched Raven; watched the way she moved, watched the way she didn't move. Raven had always been conscious of her body, she had the proportions of womanhood very early and while she made no conscious effort to actuate them, everything she did reminded others of the curve of the world. Her body was suited for baring children, but Arella knew that despite her best wishes, a child was something Raven hadn't been prepared for.

She had talked to Raven, about her life on Earth and had stolen bits of information about her friends, her heroism, and her Robin. It was sometimes difficult for Raven to speak, she often cried to remember her life and what it felt like to be safe and in control. She had looked to Arella more than once, now and in her early childhood, and asked if "free will was really just a lie". Arella had thought to lie to her and tell her otherwise, but the proof of such was obvious.

Raven didn't belong in Azarath, as far as Arella was concerned. Though she knew something of the horrible things that would be born from Raven going to Earth, she couldn't have been happier when the Azar had told her to leave. Raven had a right to be like other girls: to be happy, to laugh, dance and sing just like all the other girls and it was unfair of the universe to keep her trapped in Azarath because the father behind her creation was a terrible, terrible beast. Raven wasn't her father, she wasn't her mother either, she was her own woman… but the plans and plots of Trigon and Azarath were making her something of a puppet and the only one who could cut the strings was Raven.

Or perhaps Robin.

Or perhaps that little life inside of her.

…

Adonis found that when Starfire wanted to she could throw a human being through two skyscrapers and a car. The gorgeous Tameranian princess retrieved the obviously incapacitated Adonis and delivered him to the proper authorities. For the last month it had been that way. The lower level criminals like Johnny Rancid, Mumbo, Mad Mod and Control Freak had been sporadically and unsuccessfully attempting to make chaos in Jump City. All the villains had taken a combination of the fighting four Titans to take down, but more and more it seemed as if the fighting four were really two pairs. She and D'ucel often scouted the city together, taking one half of Jump while her sister and Tempest took the other. It was a strategy that was successful, but it did nothing to satisfy Starfire's fear of the Rackmas.

D'ucel joined her and the pair returned to the tower to find themselves in the closing end of an interesting proposal.

Tempest knelt on the floor at Blackfire's feet, holding both of her hands in his.

"Komand'r." Tempest said gently.

Blackfire laughed a little whenever Tempest used her birth name. "Yes, Orin?"

Tempest thought it was cute whenever she butchered his name. "Will you marry me?"

Blackfire blinked twice. "What?"

"Will you marry me?" Tempest repeated.

Blackfire waved her hands. "I heard you, I just did not understand."

Tempest frowned. "Not understand…"

Blackfire leaped forward and hugged him. "Please do not fret! I did understand the proposal, I was confused on---"

"The timing?" Tempest asked.

The black haired Tameranian beauty nodded.

"This whole thing has made me see something Blackfire, life is a precious and very delicate thing. I couldn't risk ever losing you without you understanding the true depths of my feelings for you. I love you, Blackfire."

"I love you too, Tempest."

"Marry me?" Tempest asked.

"Yes."

They hugged and kissed and Starfire left the room. She had entered as Tempest explained his proposal and that had been enough. Blackfire would send Tempest to request her blessing and while she didn't want to make herself hard to find, Starfire wanted to put off the moment for as long as she could.

Marriage was naturally a very joyous occasion. The union of love between two people was traditionally beautiful. Starfire could not be happier for her sister to again be preparing to take upon herself the great promise: both times in acts of great proven love.

The tragedy of great proven love was that it was as easily snatched away as great hatred or even benign emotion. Love was thieved and thieved savagely from the hearts of many in Titans' Tower. Many loves had been lost in many ways, nearly every heart was affected: the tragedy of Raven to Robin, the stealing of Sakura to Speedy, the betrayal of Terra to Beast King… D'ucel witnessed the loss of Blackfire daily, as Celine had with Cyborg and how Starfire had with Robin. Only Tempest was the lucky one among them who did not know the pain of a love lost.¹ And he was making the effort to keep her close in a way that no one else had been able to secure their love.

_I greatly wish for their success and for the repair of all of our hearts. _

Starfire walked down the empty corridors of her home and by chance of luck bumped into Speedy.

"Speedy, you have returned from you training." Starfire smiled.

"Yeah, I got some long needed practice and even longer needed sense knocked into me."

When Starfire was younger she would have furrowed her pretty brow and asked if he was undamaged and if such tactics were necessary to acquire the sense. But Starfire wasn't youthfully naïve and hadn't been for years. The pretty woman smiled.

"Then it was good to see your mentor?" Starfire asked.

"It always is." Speedy replied and left the girl to check in on his girl.

Speedy stretched his shoulders as he dumped his pack and went to check in on Sakura. _Still sleeping and still beautiful…_ Speedy touched her face and smiled down at her. He remembered a time when he had almost acted to never see anything so beautiful.

ºA young Roy Harper walked away from his rescuer and the thrashed bodies of his pursuers. He didn't ask to be rescued; it was actually the last thing the street urchin wanted. The green eyed redhead made his way quickly, hoping to keep his distance from his rightly confused rescuer: no such luck, he caught up.

"Where are you going?" His rescuer wore a grey suit that couldn't hide his impressive physical build. Roy had seen that there was more to his strength than his physical form. He might be able to take care of himself against a couple of thugs, but that ring of his could only dispense out so much damage before something bigger and stronger broke the fingers it was attached to.

Roy shook off a shudder and kept walking. "To die on a street corner where I **won't** be bothered."

His rescuer kept pace. "There are options better than death."

"Not for me." Roy replied, shaking his head. "I've got no father, no mother, nothing to eat and a masochist with me in his sights. I got nothing to live for."

"You've got a future."

Roy stopped where he was. He turned to his companion with an incredulous look. "Nobody has a future. All we have is the present and the past and after experiencing both of them, I don't think it's a trend I want to keep up."

"I can offer you better."

"No you can't. You've made my life worse now and there's a good chance you're going to die before you leave Cook for what you've done…"

"You mean saving your life?"

"Exactly." The red head replied.

"How exactly would you like me to pay for my offense?" The older man replied, waiting to be baited.

"Go away. Save your life and don't endanger mine anymore." Roy replied, sliding his dirty hands into his dirtier pockets and began to walk away again.

John Stewart raised a manicured eyebrow and didn't follow him. His arms crossed over his chest and his voice boomed well enough to reach Roy's ears. "But if you're just going to let yourself wilt away, what have I endangered?"

Roy stopped midstep. He pivoted on his planted foot; something like a smile crossed his face. He raised his palms in a questioning gesture. "Fine, so I have a flair for the dramatic. It's one of the few things that keeps me going living here."

"Then don't live here anymore."

"You say **don't** like I made a conscious effort to get stuck here."

"You're not stuck here." John Stewart replied.

Roy frowned. "Who are you anyway? You seem to know a lot about of me considering I don't even know your name."

"My name is John Stewart. I've also been known to respond to the Green Lantern." He pulled open his dress top and displayed his hallmark.

"Nice handle, I'm not impressed." He turned about and kept walking.

The Green Lantern laughed. "You shouldn't be yet. I haven't showed you anything."

"And what can you show me Mister Stewart?" Roy asked, not even turning his head back to look at him.

"I don't intend to show you anything, I'll just give you the opportunity to see for yourself."

Roy stopped and frowned. He turned about and gave John Stewart a good stare up and down. "And what do you get out of this?"

"Haven't decided yet. Either a sidekick or a partner. Sidekick to start and depending how speedy you are… Well, let's just work from sidekick." John replied. º

After a few missteps as the ill thought out Spedaris², Speedy was born and in his actions he got to see how pretty the world was. It was undeniable that the last few years had been tinted with uncertainty and darkness, but Speedy found that he was capable of keeping some light on the situation. For years that sense had been beaten into him in his training with the Green Lantern; and even more so in those months when Sakura had become his lover and eventually his love; and in the years where his life was static, Robin had provided him with some guidance to what needed to be done.

But somewhere between all those things, Speedy managed to find it himself. He thought he could pinpoint it down, it occurring somewhere about two months ago when the Titans had recovered Raven. When he had seen Raven's face and seen Robin's face, there was a flare of something that continued to burn even when the two were gone again and he was alone in the tower. Speedy didn't know what to call it, didn't care what it was called but he held onto it and with it in his chest pocket he waited for Sakura and waited for the future.

…

As the approach of the birth of her child became shorter and shorter, Raven spent more time at the Temple of the Azar. There was only a month left in her pregnancy and the incoming birth of her daughter made Raven desperate for something that only Azar Metrion could answer.

He hadn't moved once in the two months Raven had been in Azarath. Really nothing ever moved in the temple except the monks who were training the fledgling demon heirs to control their powers. But Raven had noticed that there were few if any young demon children practicing in the weeks she had been back. Whether it was because they trained the children in secret or if no recent demon sires had occurred, as if they were aware of Doomgaze's plot, Raven didn't know.

There were so many things she didn't know.

Raven knelt down inches away from Azar Metrion and stared into his silver eyes. Azar Metrion was perfectly still, wrapped in his authoritative robes. She had asked a million questions before; none of them were apparently worthy of his response. The tragedy of her birth and the circumstances of the continuance of her life were things that the Azar simply refused to answer in regards to, no matter how many times and ways she asked or how hard she cried.

Raven found that she was past the stage of tears. She was righteously angry and her tone demonstrated it.

"Why did you send me to Earth? Why did you let all these bad things happen when you had the power to stop it all?"

But Azar Metrion did not respond to her. To her face, with his eyes wide open, he continued to refuse her the truth.

Footsteps echoed closer and Raven knew who it was without looking up. Most of the citizens of Azarath had either been warned to stay clear of Raven or stayed clear because they had common sense. On a regular basis Raven saw four people: Jinx, Katora, Arella and Sabrah.

"He stopped talking years ago… four years ago he said his last absolute truth. His highest monks selected the next Azar."

"You." Raven answered.

Sabrah nodded. Sabrah had grown to be a very pretty woman, though of the pair, she had always been referred to as the pretty one. Of course with time the difference between their comparable beauties had shifted: Raven had someone who thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world, it was unlikely that Sabrah had some equivalent, being Azar was an all consuming position.

"Should I be asking you for answers Sabrah?"

"If it satisfies you, Lethe… I may not give you answers."

"Why do Azars lie?"

"We do not lie. We withhold the truth at the request of certain liars."

Raven snorted and let Sabrah help her to her feet. The weight of her pregnancy made it difficult for her to move from a sitting position to a standing one and sometimes when she was standing she found it difficult to maintain her balance. Her mother had told her it was normal, if felt anything but. Raven found that her body accommodated readily for the changes it had to endure to carry her child, she never got sick or felt pain in her body. However, her senses that were directly tied to her mind state, totally uninfluenced by her body, were often displaced; senses like confidence and security were constantly unbalanced.

"Didn't you see, in your infinite wisdom, what tragedies would become of me from those withheld truths?"

"Lethe, you know very well that Azars do not see everything, only the absolute truths. No matter what causal paths were taken, you would have born a portal of Trigon. Azar Metrion's actions were simply to calm Arella's love for you."

"That isn't good enough." Raven replied.

"Nothing is good enough. But that is how the universe exists, my friend. When we were children, I was withheld the truth the same way you were. The severity of the hidden agenda in my case was positive; there was no question who between us would be Azar."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"If you were to know that, the world would be cast in shadow."

…

Jinx confronted Katora eight days before Raven was due for birth and the pink haired demon found that she did have the capacity to kill. She also had an under appreciated sense of restraint.

Katora Hahn was a North America woman who had born a demon sire at the age of seventeen. The child that was created from that sire was born in Azarath beneath the watching gaze of Azar Metrion. It happened that the child was born a girl and possessed an incredible wealth of energy, all of which could be manipulated at her will. The girl was Kykiyon tu Grave: her mother was a reluctant mother and despite the child's predicted importance, Grave was unwanted.

Grave was trained behind Azar Metrion and was introduced to the Gabriel Jericho when Metrion met with him to form a union to reduce the spread of the demon sieges. The fights of demon ranking were imposing on the ring of Azarath and even in the alternative dimensions of Earth. More half breeds were being born to create armies and energy stores for the wars to last millennia.

To end the battles Metrion had foreseen that they would have to defeat the great demon kings: Trigon, Doomgaze, Isarnes, who was Grave's father, and Bruhiki. Defeating Bruhiki was not difficult and in comparison neither was Isarnes. The challenge lied in the greatest of the great demon kings: Trigon and Doomgaze.

When Metrion, Jericho and Grave were close to gathering the energy needed to defeat them both, they were introduced to the Devine Master, the only full human fighter amongst them, and gained a significant amount of strength. They were also introduced to the son of Grave and Jericho. The consequences of that birth were not really consequences, rather a series of unanticipated events. The boy was taken to Earth and raised quietly in the Devine Master's temple and for most accounts was never exposed to his history.

When the boy was a man of nineteen years old, the warriors of Light: Azar Metrion, The Gabriel Jericho, The Devine Master and Kikiyon tu Grave challenged Doomgaze and Trigon in a battle that lasted exactly six years. The battle saw the sealing of Trigon behind Grave's Yiken Stone, the great wounding of Doomgaze, an even greater wound to the life of Jericho and the death of Grave.

The Warriors of Light were celebrated for their heroic fighting and many of the great half-demons were given a sense of pride in the knowledge that a half-demon like them could defeat the great evil plots against their lives. Grave was immortalized; the Devine Master returned to Earth; the Gabriel Jericho disappeared to recover his strength; and Azar Metrion returned to his world of work. Within weeks of the end of the war he learned that Doomgaze had sired and a year later Trigon had also been transferred.

Somehow in the glorification of Grave, Katora was glorified for birthing Kikiyon. No one remembered how Katora had loathed to bear Grave and had suffered her to live. Jinx didn't know, didn't care really for how Katora had felt about her own daughter, what Jinx did care about was how Katora felt about Raven's daughter.

"Who are you?" Katora asked.

Jinx stopped directly in front of the much older woman. "Astarte tu Jinx."

"Jinx? I don't know that name."

"No you don't. You don't know much." Jinx replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know that you came with Raven so you're probably some demon whelp trying to end the world."

"I can't be one of the good one's like Azar Sabrah or your daughter?"

"The Azar Water³ warned us that you'd be coming. If you require a warning you're bad news."

"That's probably the smartest thing you've said since I've been here… the smartest thing you'll **do** is stay away from Raven's baby." Jinx said smoothly. Her pink eyes followed Katora as she moved about her living room, or what could be called a living room in a rounded earthen shack.

"The child must be destroyed."

"That isn't your decision to make." Jinx replied.

"It should be and if the Azar would open her eyes, both Raven and her whelp would be erased."

"I'm going to give you a fair warning to keep that sentiment to yourself. You know nothing and the more you speak the more you prove it."

"Are you threatening me?" Katora asked.

"Yes, I am. If a hair on Raven's head or her child's is out of place from anything slightly smelling of your deeds, I will annihilate you." Jinx replied.

"You don't scare me." Katora replied.

"Then you're dumber than I thought… and I already thought you were an idiot." Jinx bit back.

"My daughter died to protect Earth from demons like you and Raven and Raven's child. I will not sit back and allow the work done to protect the Earth to be destroyed."

"Your daughter was a demon like me and no where in Kikiyon's life reading did Azar Metrion see that the salvation of the Earth would be through her. The prophecy that you hold tightly as truth is not without its flaws and your believing in them, accepting them as your scripture, will lead to nothing."

"Are you convincing me or convincing yourself?" Katora asked.

"You. I don't need convincing." Jinx replied. She turned out of Katora's house and removed a sealing hex that would pin Katora in her home for eight days. On the seventh day, the world ended.

End of Part Three

¹You could count Bumble Bee but she's really an off and on player so establishing a love interest for her would be really pointless.

²Still not sure why I ever came up with the name Spedaris. I really can't remember.

³ The Azar is Sabrah tu Water


	50. String of Memory Part Four

String of Memory

Part Four

The girls were in one room, the boys were in another. The men found the fit incredibly tight, but the girls went to sleep almost immediately. Beast King wasn't thinking about sleep even though he had claims to the only bed in the room. Neither Cyborg, Robotman nor Negative Man required a mattress for rejuvenation; indeed they had all fallen sleep haphazardly on the floor. Mento had taken a lean inside the ceil of the window, his arms crossed, his head bowed down.

Beast King laid on his back with his head on his hands. His green eyes were wandering, but he didn't really see anything. He didn't exactly know why he was awake. His mind was clear, the first time it had been in a long time considering all that had happened recently.

The Brotherhood of Evil was withdrawing its forces. No, withdrawing was the wrong word, General Immortis was strategically reorganizing his powers to execute The Brain's world wide intention. Thirteen young heroes in all were missing: Wildebeest, Kole, Hot Spot, Melvin's team, Kid Flash, Argent, and a few others that the Titans had never met, but the last to disappear was one that they were familiar with. Starfire had sent a transmission that Red Star had failed to respond to her last communication. But there was no time to check on him, The Doom Patrol could only assume that Red Star was within the enemy stronghold…

The stronghold they were going to attack within a few hours.

It had come down to a vote between the nine of them: Sinora, Beast King, Omicron, Cyborg, Mento, Elasti-girl, Bumble Bee, Negative Man and Robotman. Four had wanted to go, four had wanted to wait and Beast King had the deciding vote.

Celine's network had given them all the information they needed, but it also gave Elasti-girl, Bumble Bee, Cyborg and the Omicron worry. Mento, Robotman and Negative Man didn't want to waste the opportunity and Sinora wanted the Brotherhood of Evil stopped immediately. So the two sides were deadlocked, weighing out the pros and cons until Negative Man asked Beast King for his opinion.

Beast King sighed from his bed, thinking what he had thought those hours ago when he had been asked: what he thought didn't matter, it was what he did that made him a man.

There were thirteen young heroes captured, a slew more in hiding and many more that were far from safe.

The man inside him needed to make them safe.

…

Arella had received every one of Robin's letters.

She would have told Raven about them, but from what she knew about dimensional communications her daughter wasn't expecting the letters and exposing her to them might upset her… and Arella didn't want to upset Raven: for the last couple of weeks Raven had been happy.

The birth of Raven's baby was painless. Arella knew from experience that most babies resisted birth. Her granddaughter seemed to be ready to do her part. Arella had been at Raven's bedside to coach her. Jinx sat outside as did the Azar Sabrah tu Water. The mid-wife simply waited, Arella was doing much of her work.

Arella had been prepared for intensive labor. Raven's birth had been a terrible ordeal. But with Raven's child it was a pain, a push and surprise. It was a girl, she was small, but had powerful lungs. She cried from the moment she was delivered to the moment she was given to Raven to nurse. The baby was born with a full head of black hair and Raven's eyes. Raven sighed as she took in the contrast of her skin and her child's. The tiny girl had pink skin, like a full blooded human baby. Somehow the baby's demonic presence was suppressed.

Sabrah and Jinx had entered the birthing room the moment they heard the child cry and the Azar frowned when Arella gave the child directly to Raven, even though the correct custom was for the Azar to read her life before she was nursed. Arella knew it; Raven knew it and Sabrah tu Water did nothing about it.

The baby did not become tired after she had satisfied her hunger. Her purple eyes were wide open, but unfocused due to her new age. Raven could see into the small girl's face, saw every inch of the little girl. She was beautiful. She didn't look, even with her unnaturally pigmented eyes, like anything other than a perfect baby girl. Raven brushed her daughter's brow gently.

The Azar Sabrah stood over Raven's head, becoming the third person to touch the tiny life when she should have been the second. The midwife cleared out, but Jinx and Arella kept close from the other side of the bed. Sabrah's green eyes flittered from the quiet infant to her quiet mother and saw what was to be seen: the child's name.

"Schala tu…"

"Akane." Raven whispered.

And so, the granddaughter of Demon King Legend was born: Schala tu Akane.

In days Akane was sitting up straight and in a month she was crawling across the bed so fast, more than twice Raven had to dive to keep the little girl from toppling over the edge. Arella could see the way her daughter smiled and loved her child. She kept her close, told her stories and satisfied the small girl's curiosity: she never left Akane to want for her attention or affection.

It was the opposite way that most demon sires were raised.

Raven treated Akane gently, cautious and loving, ready to protect her in any instance. But she was always prepared for the moment when Akane showed the first signs of her unfortunate powers. She was always looking, but never for a moment was hard or fearful: she treated Akane as a child she wanted and with the complexion of no demon heritage; Raven could treat Akane as Robin's daughter.

Outside of her tremendous rate of growth, Akane appeared to be a normal little girl. Raven held her, nursed her, loved her despite the stares and ever present worry in her head. Arella could see in nights, especially those just after Akane's birth that Raven constantly looked at things that reminded her of her old life. She would often talk to the tiny child, whose eyes moved to follow every motion of her mother's voice: she talked about the planet Earth, the wealth of colors she had seen, how she had friends that Akane would meet some day; how she'd love Akane forever and how there was someone waiting on Earth to love her as well.

Arella never missed it when Raven put Akane down to sleep for the night because she did it the same way every time. She laid the girl in her bassinet, which would need to be replaced with a crib in a day or two, the girl was growing much too fast to be comfortable in it for much longer, then Raven kissed her sweet forehead, making sure she was tucked in securely.

Then Raven would pull on her bed robe and sit on the edge of her bed and open a music box that she kept on the stand beside her bed. The music it played was surprisingly gentle, as to not take away from the display of lights it produced. The colors rebounded off her purple irises painting soft blues and reds across her skin. It made her eyes look so sad. Sometimes she'd whisper to it, as if she were talking to a whole being, other times she'd close it and go directly to sleep, but usually she watched it until her eyes couldn't get any sadder, then closed the box and laid it down on her stand before taking up a damaged stuff rabbit and clutching it to her stomach. That routine she had been doing before Akane was born. Whenever she held that stuffed rabbit, she wouldn't cry.

Arella had dared to ask Raven the significance of the tattered plushy. It was an ugly thing, burned and stitched up to hold one of its ears in place. Raven didn't answer and still went to bed with it every night. Raven hadn't brought much with her when she had come to Azarath. She brought her birthrights, a music box, a small album of photos and a gift that wasn't opened, because it wasn't addressed to her.

Raven was a good mother and so was Arella and like a good mother, Arella made it her business to understand the heart of her child. Raven was rubbing her thumb over the tattered fur of her most valued possession. Arella sat beside Raven, her hand touching Raven's wrist. It didn't still the motion there, she hadn't intended it to.

"Raven."

"Yes?"

"What will you do when it happens?"

"I'll train her." Raven replied.

"To do what?"

"To be stronger than her prophecy." Raven replied.

"Then you will let them look?" Arella asked.

Raven's hands faltered. "I will let them look, only when she shows power."

"You showed power when you were four years old." Arella told her.

The way Akane was growing, that would be within months. Raven nodded.

"Are you prepared for what they'll see in her life course?"

Raven shook her head in the negative. "I'm going to lie to her about whatever they find… just like you did to me… I'm sorry about before, when I said all those terrible things about you lying to me."

"I know." Arella pushed a lock of hair behind Raven's ear. Her daughter had always had a sense of beauty that was mostly unappreciated due to the disposition she was forced to adopt. When the girl smiled it was the most beautiful thing in the world to behold. Her eyes remained the same wide shape her whole life, big and round from the day she was born.

"I wish there were another way to protect her instead of lies." Raven whispered. The baby hiccupped in her sleep. Raven stood up and checked on the infant. In her sleep her thumb had found her mouth. Raven watched her breathe, letting her own breath go with the visible exhale of Akane. Raven leaned forward gently and kissed her daughter's temple. "I love you." She whispered with her lips still touching the sleeping child's skin.

There was no doubt in all of Azarath that Raven loved her daughter. Arella could see it when Raven bathed the tiny girl in water that was just right, how she nursed her at the very moment she felt hunger, she'd play with her, talk to her, always show the little girl she was loved. When Raven left her home, Akane was always safely cradled against her; her purple eyes wide and loving when she looked down at the child; and harsh and often fierce when she took in the sight of anyone who looked with ill regard onto her baby.

Katora had made the mistake, exactly once, to voice her distain for Akane's life where Raven could hear her. Raven had been sitting outside with Akane. The little girl was basking in what was to be considered sunlight, watching her mother as Raven spun a crystal with her power, a silent spell producing a gently display of light that made Akane's young eyes widen in delight and absolute awe. The only color the girl ever saw was that which Raven produced and Raven made sure that Akane saw something every day to keep her promise to Robin.

Katora was only a few feet away when Akane had clapped her hands in delight; the little girl's laughter was music to Raven's ears: a retched chord to Katora. Arella saw Raven's movement from her kitchen and immediately ran outside to divert Akane's attention when her mother made to approach Katora. Raven's brown dress rustled until she came to a stop, her eyes locked on Katora's. Katora didn't look intimidated; she would change her disposition when Raven slapped her, her nail cutting her cheek. Raven could have used her powers, could have smote Katora where she stood, could have turned her home to rubble. Instead, Raven had used her body, matched Katora inch for inch as women, both of the mothers of daughters with great legacy. And every time they clashed, Raven stood up and Katora backed down. It was a dance that tired Raven, but she was always prepared to match that dance step.

Until Schala tu Akane added a new step to that waltz.

…

She kept her mind occupied with memories, all of which involving her friends. Starfire had a lot of memories; most of them highlighted moments where friends rejoiced greatly in each others company. Perhaps her fondest memory took place in the earliest stages of her friendships of Earth.

She had accompanied her friends to a thing called the supermarket. While she understood the concept of a market, the powers it warranted to deserve the title of super were lost on her.

She understood when encountered the entrance of the Mart of Value. Beast Boy and Cyborg had to all but hold her hand to keep her from flying around Mart of Value in a flurry of joyous energy. She encountered Robin at a free sample stand and he handed her a mini hotdog on a tooth pick. He made the mistake of not telling her not to eat the toothpick, but it didn't seem to bother the pretty Tameranian at all.

"That was most enjoyable! What is it called?"

"That's a hotdog Star."

"Hot… dog?" Starfire turned stark white. "You mean the friendly furry companions of earth persons are also for consumption?" Starfire nearly screeched.

"No, no! It's not the same thing. They just call it that. Here, have another one." Robin handed her the skewered meat, and took one for himself, this time placing a dollop of mustard at the end of it. Starfire watched him cautiously, her narrowed green eyes regarding him and the skewered meat warily.

"Go ahead Star." Robin said, finishing his.

"You are sure it is not composed of the Fidos or Rovers, as they are called?"

"I promise Star. Here, try this one with mustard."

He made an action that would change Starfire's life forever. She ate the mustarded link and her taste buds exploded in euphoria. Robin watched with one eyebrow raised, Starfire leaping and bounding, praising the glorious taste of mustard to anyone who was close enough and even to those who were at a safe distance.

"Please tell me friend, is this mustard only to accompany the eating of the hotdogs?"

"No, Star. You can put it on anything you want." Robin replied; glad that the hotdog eating crisis was averted.

The Boy Wonder really needed to be more careful with his word choice.

…

_**Beat, Beat, Heartbeat…**_

She knew it was coming when there was no way it could be known.

Akane was the first person to ever find flowers in Azarath. She had to look for them, got plenty dirty, but the girl found them. By the calendar she was three months old, but by vision she was four years old and growing.

The milestones of Akane's life had passed in rapid succession: her first steps, her first words, potty training and she had already read her first children's fable. The small girl had a cautious and light voice, filled with the wonderment of childhood that she would lose in weeks.

Raven had gone from carrying Akane, to holding her hand as she toddled, to chasing after the girl when something inspired her to run.

Schala tu Akane had been inspired to run that afternoon. When Raven caught up to her, she had to kneel down in the dirt as well to see what had give Akane a reason to stop. The small girl smiled up at her mother and pointed with her small fingers.

"Look mommy. Look how pretty!"

_Not as pretty as… _"They are."¹

Raven took a closer look at the stunted blossoms that were distinctly out of place. _Snapdragons? _Raven hid her surprise when her daughter began to trace the tiny petals with her fingers. "I'll pick them for Auntie Astarte, that I will." The small girl declared, securing one blossom by the steam.

_**Beat, Beat, Heartbeat…**_

"Schala, wait."

The purple eyed girl frowned and looked up at her mother. Her mother only called her Schala when she was in trouble, which was to say not often. Raven watched her daughter frown and she shook her head.

"Sweetheart, they are still very small. We can come back in a few days and if they're bigger we'll pick them."

"I think they are ready now, that I do."

She couldn't hide her surprise when Akane gently grasped the blossom again and pulled the flower free.

_**Beat, Beat, Heartbeat…**_

And it came so simply from a touch, something reacted and Schala tu Akane for the first time exercised her demonic heritage. The ground beneath the small girl was thrown about in the efflux of energy. The weak snapdragons were ripped from the ground and Raven was surprised enough that when the energy struck her, she was thrown back six feet. She pulled herself off her side and stared as Schala's black hair was thrown almost straight into the air, her fists clenched, her face straining. Her energy washed over the land around her in a circle expanding outward. The sparkling gold color pulled a tear from Raven's eye.

Raven leapt to her feet, her heart torn at the sight of her daughter, struggling, unsure of what was happening to her. Raven swallowed hard.

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" Raven's black energy flooded over the gold energy borne from her daughter. Raven's superior control pushed and contained Akane's power, dispelling it and gently calming the girl who produced it.

When Akane collapsed from exhaustion, Raven caught her and held her close. Akane's eyes darted back in forth in terror when she came to; her mother was holding her and her mother was crying.

Akane reached a slender soft hand to touch Raven's tear soaked cheek. Raven closed her worried eyes before opening them and seeing a monk from the temple approach. Her fingers gripped Akane tightly, her irises wavered in fear.

"Mommy… what was that?" Akane asked.

_The first step in the end of the world…_²

End of Part Four

A/N

¹This is the same vision Raven had in Say Your Name Part Three. Again, it's showing how she's programmed for most of the events in her life. This was foreshadowing for the beginning of the end.

²I use this quote a bit, but it's all a matter of perspective.


	51. String of Memory Part Five

String of Memory

Part Five

"The end of the world was programmed long before Trigon or Doomgaze were manifest. It was destined from the beginning of creation and feared with the birth of religion and mortality. Until now the only process which allowed life to exist without the constant worry of nonexistence is uncertainty. No one knew if they would be a live to suffer the end of the world… but now we have a calendar date for the apocalypse."

Lethe listened with the fingers on her left hand clenched tightly; the fingers on her right were smoothing the hairs that framed her sleeping daughter's face.

Sabrah had seen the generation of Schala's energy: all of Azarath had seen it. Her powers were a golden beam of light, the power of which was incomparable. Luckily it was uncontrolled and Raven had been able to subdue her. However, there was no luck for Schala and Lethe from that point forward, there was no hiding… Lethe brought her daughter to Azar Sabrah to look.

"I have seen two absolutes in this child's life. She will have happiness in her life… and she will also have ultimate despair." Azar Sabrah declared.

Raven clenched her eyes closed, Astarte crossed her arms over her chest to listen, Arella and Katora both were kept outside the reading, but the declaration would be known throughout Azarath soon enough: such truths could only be kept from those who were lied to, it was possible to lie to a single girl, but impossible to lie to a city… Katora would see to it.

"She will make it to encounter Trigon. Schala will reach the seal of the Yiken stone and break it and Trigon will again influence the mortal world."

"And this is absolute?" Raven asked.

"It shall be so. On the anniversary of your birth, Schala will leave here and live out her pedigree." Sabrah replied, her face was somber, her tone was mono.

"Then we'll keep her here!"

Sabrah shook her head in the negative. "She can not stay…"

"Why not?" Jinx asked.

"I have looked…"

"What have you seen if Schala never encounters the Yiken Stone?" Astarte tu Jinx asked.

"The World Cast In Shadow"

"And how is that different than the end of the world?"

They waited thirty seven minutes before Raven secured her daughter and left with no answer. Arella walked to the right of Raven, making sure her daughter's long hair didn't fall into Akane's face. Raven held the small girl securely over her shoulder; the girl's breath was warm on the back of her neck.

Already it was beginning. The citizens of Azarath were watching with an accusing stare as if they didn't constantly acknowledge Akane's birthright that somehow Raven would forget it.

"Lethe, what will you tell her?" Jinx asked when Raven laid the small girl onto her bed. Arella brought food and drink and the three of them sat looking down at the beautiful sleeping girl. It had begun and there was absolutely no way that Raven could pretend that her child could be spared from her demonic heritage. Her normal skin and lovely face couldn't save her from the truth behind her pedigree.

"The truth, she must learn powerful spells to entrap the Yiken Stone and seal Trigon away forever. When my child encounters Trigon, it will be to destroy him."

…

At twenty one weeks old, Akane was the most beautiful of all Azarath. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders and she stood tall with the beginnings of true womanhood. Akane was also a gentle child. She started off life with huge eyes and over time, despite the change in her shape, she did not lose them. The narrowing of her eyes came with time, but the weak slant to them couldn't hide her intelligence.

Her mother told her of the difficulties she would encounter in tackling the evil Demon Kings and once Akane submitted the horrible legend to memory, she took on a mantra to prepare her mind and heart and body.

"I will become stronger, that I will."

She had been training since she was four, which was really to say three months old, to control her magnificent wealth of power. She read scrolls and submitted spells and incantations to memory; she studied at the Temple of Azar constantly with her mother and became increasingly aware of the power flooding within her. Akane practiced with crystals and orbs, powders and stones. She often listened to her Aunt Astarte teaching her about hex arts but found that she learned best when she learned from her mother.

Raven spent hours in meditation, it took longer in Azarath because of a complication that had occurred in Jump City. Raven had found the morning she had prepared to steal away that her mind was locked away from her not simply because of the power Washu had at his will, but because of the power she had relied on to ease the disorder of her mind was damaged. Her mirror of Azar had been cracked; a pattern of deep faults ran across its face. The mirror had been made specifically for her mind, crafted by the very hand of the Azar who had spoken his last truth the day the mirror was broken.

She could still contact her mind, but it took much more of her time, though she found it strengthened her capacity greatly. It was a hardship and a strength, Raven found that much of her life was held in that same flux. From birth to birthing Akane, Raven had a lot of responsibility in the world and she would see that her daughter had a future, whether fraught with peril or ease, Akane would prove her prophecy wrong.

When Raven trained Akane she was fierce, but always gentle when the onslaught of training was over. She loved her daughter, but Akane needed to be strong. Unlike Raven, the enemy Schala tu Akane would fight would not hold anything back. Akane had tremendous power but she also had to be ready.

They all had to be ready.

For hours at a time the demon child Schala trained her mind and her body. Her lithe form seemed to have stopped growing at the age of sixteen; her physical form was mature to that point: her limbs long, her body cut slender but her face still bared the faintest traces of childhood. She and the Azar were the only people in Azarath who wore color. Even Raven wore a brown dress. But Akane wore white and blue, her single suit a shimmering white that caught blue highlights, from where, it was not known. She wove a blue skirt around her waist; it was caped with the brown material stopping just above the cuff of her white capris.

She had pulled her hair back in two long ponytails to train. Her grunts could be heard down the corridors of the Temple of Azar as she worked in taming her energy. She could control the efflux of her power with her associative spell. She could fly, she could create barriers and she could attack. She held a wealth of hexes and curses; she was stronger than her mother, stronger than her aunt… she trained rigorously night and day to be stronger than her grandfathers.

Raven threw forth her black energy, the power concentrated in a thick bar, angled down to crash into her opponent. The reflex of color still amazed her, no matter how many times Akane put up a barrier. Raven's power pushed and Akane's barrier pushed back. The black haired fighter shifted her weight, sidestepping the direct onslaught of her mother's power and took to the air. Her flight was straight forward and only Raven's superior battle skill kept Akane from purging her attack. Raven's dark claw clutched Akane and sent her on a collision course with the ground. The echo of her crash resounded against the temple wall, still echoing when Akane rebounded and took a fighting stance. Raven dropped to the ground, her brown skit rustling against her knees. She shifted her weight to her back leg as Akane sprung forward and met her mother in close range hand to hand.

Akane was fast and lacked little as far as physical strength went. Her reflexes were sharp and the presence of body rivaled the fighting style Raven had seen in both Jinx and Robin. Akane's brown boot kicked out and shot clear over Raven's left shoulder. Raven grabbed the offending limb with her left arm and with the other purged her energy. The shot slammed into Akane's chest and when Raven let go of her leg, the energy bolt catapulted Akane's slender form to slam into the training room wall. Akane's body twisted and corrected its orientation; her feet and hands met the cave wall, her outstretched right leg absorbing the force. Her breathing was hard as she maintained her crouch, defying gravity, her purple eyes meeting her mother's.

Raven tilted her head. Akane dropped hers, setting her heels onto the wall and using it as a launch site. Her push gave her plenty of momentum, the wind of her motion pushed the hairs that framed her face past her ears. One hand drew back, cloaked in her gold energy. Raven waited, her daughter approached with her energy prepared and Raven charged her might as well. With nearly a foot distance between them, both Raven and Akane shot their energy forward.

The clash echoed throughout the temple. The resonance of such powerful energy knocked books from shelves in the libraries on the other end of the temple. In the room, two female bodies were thrown back. Akane, whose body was in flight, was repelled backwards, her body twisting helplessly as the energy sparked and bombed. Raven was pushed back as well.

The slip of Raven's dress didn't protect her knees as she slid backwards against the cobblestone floor. Lethe tu Raven shielded her eyes and waited for the collision to subside. Dust settled, the air cleared. Raven was weak at her knees; Akane was exhausted on the floor.

Raven ran to her daughter, made sure she wasn't seriously injured. She began the healing process as she looked down at her daughter's face. It wasn't more than a few seconds before Akane sat up on her own and completed the healing process herself. Akane frowned and rubbed her neck. She stood on her own design, standing slightly shorter than her mother.

"That was reckless." Raven warned.

Akane nodded. "I should always be prepared to have an energy clash, that I should."

"And what else?"

"You held back in that attack. Trigon and Doomgaze shall do no such thing."

The girl was intelligent. No one withheld the absolute truth from her, Raven had thought to but Akane would not allow it. Raven was rightly worried, but Akane was reassuring: "I will get stronger, that I will."

Akane fought against her mother and her aunt Astarte and found that she beat them as often as they beat her. The much younger woman listened to all the warnings, felt the warnings in her heart and prepared for the day that was approaching.

…

They left for battle six months before the calendar day for the end of the world.

Cyborg and Robotman made their last minute adjustments and Celine made sure everything was online. Elasti-girl and Bumble Bee secured the packs as Mento secured himself and waited for the members of his team to become ready.

The Brotherhood of Evil's fortress was not miles away from the Logan household, which served as the Doom Patrol's final base. It was final because if this mission was successful there would be no more need for the Doom Patrol and if they failed it would mean that none of them were coming back.

Beast King tightened the strap of his glove with his teeth. Everyone had a lot to lose; the world had a lot to lose: Cyborg had his prospects, Bumble Bee had her future, the Doom Patrol had its team and he had even more than the rest of them knew. Celine handed Beast King his communicator. Beast King wasn't paying her any attention, but took it automatically. His eyes were watching a much more important scene.

Negative Man approached Sinora and made sure he had Sinora's undivided attention.

"Are you scared?" Negative Man asked.

Sinora nodded. "This has to be done… the Brotherhood of Evil has taken away many things from many people over the years and they must be stopped… but…"

"You're worried about Garfield." It wasn't a question, it was a fact. Sinora acknowledged it. "We will stop the Brotherhood of Evil and it will never take anything away from you again."

"I have already lost half of what is dear to me." Sinora replied.

Before Larry had thought to hug her, he had already done the math. Beast King raised an eyebrow as his mother embraced Negative Man. Her eyes were closed; her warm face looked both happy and frightened. The Brotherhood of Evil had taken her first husband and her first son and in this battle she was risking her second son…

"Sinora," Larry said softly, his fingers running up and down her back. "Will you marry me?"

And now her second husband.

"Bring my boy home and I promise I'll work on it."

"Team," Mento said firmly. "Let's move out."

Celine held Sinora's hand and together they watched the team walk away. Beast King's back was straight, Cyborg's shoulders proud and the other's confident. The two brown eyed women watched them go, already desperate to have them back.

…

Raven watched Akane in and out of meditation. Her daughter was lucky, the might of Azarath kept the dark influence that was bound to form in her mind away. There was no way that Trigon was unaware of the creation of Akane and Doomgaze was the conspirer of her birth. She only knew of Doomgaze from legends from Azar Metrion, but if he was one of the Great Demon Kings, it was unlikely that his powers did not match Trigon which meant that his mind could reach Akane because she was part of his blood.

Everyday, since the day Akane showed her power, Raven feared that somehow Doomgaze would prove to be the stronger of the Great Demon Kings and mark his influence in Akane's blood. Jinx told her not to worry, but worry was the thing that a mother was always capable of.

Raven moved silently, leaving her daughter in the safety of her grandmother's care to journey to the Temple of the Azar. Her steps were silent, they always were: she had always been graceful. Against the backdrop of an infinite volume of books, Raven's moon pale skin seemed to glow and her eyes shimmered like jewels as they wavered back and forth, searching silently for a title that she wasn't sure existed.

Her fingers trailed legend after legend, hoping to recognize what she was looking for when she came across it. What was she looking for, perhaps a spell that would erode a power so strong as Trigon and Doomgaze, a tale of a half-demon overcoming their declared life course, or something so simple as a catalog of unfulfilled prophecies, something that could give to her heart something that was lacking in her mind…

HOPE.

Desperation was a crippling thing. It drove TimiD, SoRroW, DeSpaiR and RAGE all in the same moment, it could bring Raven to her knees and frequently it did: in the hollow halls of Azarath, Raven was often brought to tears.

Raven's fingers traced along the pages of a chronicle that she had read a million times as a child, she knew every word of it, she didn't even know why she had taken it. There was nothing new in that text, nothing helpful and nothing that would provide inspiration. But her fingers ran over the dark language it was scribed in because it was familiar, but not comforting.

To think of anything in her life as familiar stung at the long haired mystic: most of the moments she had built her life around were stacked upon lies. _How different would my life have been if I were told the truth?_

She had played the scenarios in her head a million times, if once, just once Azar Metrion had told her that the portal inside her was one she would birth, rather than borne, she would have been a different person. She would have still been reserved, that was a complication of her heritage and not her lifestyle:

_But I wouldn't have been---_

**_There is no point in lying to yourself, my Lethe! You are a slave to me!_**

Raven gasped and dropped the book. It slid formlessly to the floor, ripping a tiny tear in the skin of her index finger: not enough to draw blood, but enough to create a burn. _No!_ Raven swallowed hard, her brown boots clicked against the floor as she stood up. Her purple crowned head twisted back and forth, her dark eyes shifting right and left, looking for some evidence that the menace in her head had a physical manifest.

_**There is no point in looking for me Lethe. I am in you. I am a part of you, I am your blood!**_

Trigon's voice roared in her head, she could feel the dark part of her mind flexing under his will.

"It's not possible! You can't be here! It's safe here!" Raven turned her body, bumping into shelf directly behind her. Books fell from the shelves, when one struck her shoulder she leapt up in freight, her dark energy encasing her hands. Her body was shaking as if cold, but sweat poured along her forehead and into her eyes, the heat of fear and the cold of absoluteness wrecked her body as her mind refused to calm down.

"Where are you? I'm not afraid of you!" Her voice trembled, her throat was dry, books continued to fall from the shelf above her.

_**Deliver her to me! The portal must be opened!**_

"I won't! I won't let you hurt her! I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

_**Is that so?**_

Raven felt his voice, the echo of the tremendous power behind it, striking her back. She turned slowly, fear apparent in every inch of her, in her every movement, her heartbeat, her breath…

The four eyes of Trigon stared down at her from the bookshelf, the red color more freighting then the marks that bore on her skin. Raven's jaw dropped. The light of the marks of Scath lit up her skin. She floated petrified, her breathing stopped, her blinking stopped, she could not feel her body.

**_And who are you to stop me? _****_I am your creator, your master. You exist only to serve me. You will do my will and bring Schala to me so the portal may be ripped from her!_**

"Don't you ever say her name!"

Raven let a battle cry escape her lips as she threw forth her power to strike at the eyes of Trigon. Her energy blast shot forward from her outstretched hand, tearing at the image of the retched thing in the center of her existence. Her anger and righteousness fueled her and temporarily fought her fear of Trigon to the back of her mind.

"Azarath Metrion Zin-AHHH!"

Raven dropped the floor, holding her face in her hands. She had attacked and Trigon retaliated bringing her retched heritage to her four eyes. Raven vision was tainted red, all four years blinking at the same time. If those eyes were capable of tears, they would have blurred her vision as she gazed up at the unmarred gaze of Trigon.

**_Remember your place daughter. You survive only because I allow it and you will serve my will! You will deliver the girl to me!_**

"I will defeat you!" Raven shouted weakly.

**_What hope can a mere child have of defeating her all-powerful father… when there is no hope at all?_**

Another terrible blast of energy engulfed the room around her; everything disappeared and was replaced with her nightmare of Apocalypse. She could see them: her friends, destroyed in the battle field of Earth and she could see Akane, a puppet to the war of Trigon.

"NOOOO!"

…

She woke up some time later, feeling a demonic energy that was not her own, seeping into her body. She sat up immediately, her fist clenched to attack. Her breathing wracked her body, her eyes were frantic. Sabrah waited.

The Azar Sabrah had found Raven laid out on the library floor like an angel, wings crossed. The calm mistress of Azarath spun her staff and gently healed her childhood friend until she regained herself. She remained crouched, her lap warm from Lethe's head, as Lethe found consciousness.

Raven dropped her forehead into her hand. There wasn't a book out of place, the fever in her skin was gone, and all that remained was the cold sweat in her eyes. "It was all in my mind." She whispered.

Sabrah nodded in affirmation. "The place where we are least safe."

"Everyday… my body submits to him… I had worked so hard to make sure he could do no damage to my mind… but my best isn't good enough."

"I know very well of your struggles, Lethe… they are no different than when we were children… the only variance is severity… you became stronger… Trigon became more persistent."

"When did you gain foresight? When did you come to know the truth?" Raven asked, turning her sad purple eyes to the pale green eyes of her childhood friend.

"I had been a watcher of you… nearly from the day Azar Metrion excused you to Earth. I saw many things… I saw what blossomed in your heart and what crumbled in your mind."

Raven bit back the tears in her eyes. "Was there nothing I could do… that anyone could do?"

Sabrah shook her head in the negative. "Trigon's blood would follow you through your daughter, no matter who the father. It may have been a blessing or a curse that it occurred now, when your powers and mind are most keen as to act."

"Then there is a chance to save Akane and the Earth?"

"I have yet to see anything to suggest such a thing. No matter the causal path, the drive of ambitious demon blood will take Schala to the Great Demon King will. Prolonging the inevitable does not make the course any less inevitable."

"How can you be so calm about the apocalypse? It will reach here as well. If everything… happens, Azarath will not be spared. Nothing will be spared."

"So may it be. When Azarath's time comes, it will come."

"Damnation through fatalism."

"What we have seen is absolute. You know what it is so." Sabrah stood and her childhood friend Lethe stood as well. Though their skins were nearly equally grey, they were in stark contrast to each other. Sabrah's long red hair, Lethe's purple, green eyes, purple eyes, a prophecy to protect, a future to lose…

"I was both blessed and cursed with the gift of foresight, Lethe, and though my powers are tremendous, they are no match for the future. What will be done will not be undone, that is the consequence of time… it can only move forward… and so must we."

"My future is my daughter! Her future is her own! Your actions may blind you to the possibility of hope… but… I have to believe that there is something I can do." Raven whispered.

"The anniversary of your birth will occur in thirteen days. You will leave Azarath to confirm the retched truth. Resistance will prove futile and detrimental to the last moments of Schala's life."

Raven closed her eyes tightly. "I once considered you a friend Sabrah… the only thing that gave me any comfort in returning to Azarath was seeing you… however… if you are so sealed to absoluteness, I can no longer believe you to be my friend."

"Lethe, Guin Fori Byoun Buikua" (I steel my heart because I must.) Sabrah reached up gently and took a book from the shelves above their heads. Raven looked down at it; it was the same script she had stumbled upon before, the one she knew every inch of. The symbolism wasn't lost on her.

"And I do what I must… for my daughter, for myself… my friends and the rest of the world. We will prove the prophecy wrong."

"No one intercepts destiny without turning into its path. You are no different Lethe nor is Schala."

"If you're attempting to crush my last reserves of hope, you are wasting your time. You're working on the assumption that I have hope and that simply isn't true."

"Then what drives you to fight Lethe?" Sabrah asked.

"If I am to ever recover hope… I must maintain the vessel to capture her…"

Sabrah sat and watched Lethe walk away, her steps silent, her motions fluid and seemingly controlled. Foresight was a gift of the Azar, but not insight. But she didn't need it to know that Lethe, her childhood friend, was straining under the pressure of everything in her past and everything that would come in her future. A single tear slipped from Sabrah's pale, green eye. It was the curse of Azars to know the terrible motions of the future and despite all their awesome powers, to be able to do nothing about it. People would hurt, people would die, worlds would end and all the Azars could do was say when.

_Thirteen days…_

…

She could have watched her sleep for a million years if she were allowed. Akane lay gently on her side, her spill of black hair would tangle from her sleep, but right then it was beautiful and straight, highlighting the natural glow of her skin. Raven sat on her daughter's bed and watched Akane rest after an exhausting day of training. Their studies and practices had always been intense, but that day they had intensified to a level that would have crippled anyone without such a vast wealth of power.

Again that day Raven had defeated Akane in battle and that was what worried her.

ºOne of the few indulgences Raven took advantage of was having someone else brush her hair. She was tender headed and generally the soft pass of her fine bristled brush over her scalp was like a massage. It was hardly indulgent behavior to have it done regularly; it was a necessity after all. What was indulgent was requesting her mother to brush out her locks simply because she was having a bad day.

And the day was bad.

She had pushed Akane that day in training, she had pushed hard with almost she had in her arsenal and her daughter had fumbled. The gold energy that was limitless and well within the control of her will had faltered: Akane's barriers were barely holding up, her energy beams were lacking power and her meditation was lacking direction. It was as if all her training was being erased as the day of reckoning was approaching.

Arella watched her daughter drop her face into her hands, her shoulders hunching forward. Raven wasn't one to voice her frustration, but Arella had always been able to read her. Arella caught a lock of Raven's hair in her right hand and ran the brush over the long, soft tresses, mimicking the motion of water under the wind.

Arella had always appreciated Raven's ability to suppress her anxiety even if it were just for show. Sometimes her worry sparked and destroyed glasses or split the earth. Arella couldn't possibly know the severity of her daughter's distress, the range of Raven's power was nearly unmatched and luckily the impulses of her lack of control were not to the full extent of her powers. It wasn't to say that small explosions were little victories of her fear or that mammoth worries caused massive destruction. It shifted, Raven's control and fears were not static and so it was difficult to know how scared or frustrated Raven was, but not hard to tell what caused her distress.

Arella's fingers wove Raven's braid tightly, finishing the final twist when Jinx and Akane entered the room. Jinx leaned against the far wall, behind Raven's head. Jinx physically hadn't changed in the year they had been in Azarath and in truth had barely physically evolved in the four years since the actions of the Slade Syndicate shaped Raven's prophecy. Her hair was no longer, her face only slightly thinner, her frame just as wiry and her cat eyes were sharp and intense.

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest, her right ankle over the left when she heard Lethe tu Raven sigh. Akane frowned and watched her mother. She was sensitive enough to her mother's power to understand the distress she was experiencing. Raven had told no one of the vision she had when at the Temple Library, she had been too afraid to; but Akane had seen bits and flashes of it during her mother's fitful sleep last night. From her bed on the floor she could hear her mother weave in the darkness and find her treasured music box and listen to it until her heart calmed and she could risk sleep again.

Akane didn't feel the great disorder that came with the manipulation the Great Demon Kings had in her blood. It was the might of Azar Sabrah and her mother, just as much as her own power, to make sure she was uninfluenced in her days. In her nights, when no one could see, she had seen the stigma of her heritage more than twice. In the center of her forehead, exactly once, she had seen the Scath Stigma and several times in the palms of her hands she had seen the homing markers that told her what to do: to encounter, to be, to serve. She managed to suppress them without her mother ever being aware of them, but as the day approached, she knew it would be harder and harder for her to fight it back and another worry would be stacked onto her mother's shoulders.

In all truth, Schala tu Akane was both terrified and brave in the aspect of exiting Azarath: to confirm and disprove the retched truth that Azar Sabrah held fast to and scared her mother more than she was willing to admit. Akane would be a fool not to be afraid as well, and she was, but more than afraid she was determined: she had to destroy the Great Demon Kings, if not for the rest of the world or even her own future, then for her mother. It had been weeks since her mother had last smiled, genuinely smiled, the way she had done before Akane had demonstrated her heritage. Even though Akane was technically still very young, her memories of youth were in a constant rotation, whether dreaming or sleeping awake.

Akane saw Arella move and ended her internal dialogs. Akane stepped in front of her mother. Raven raised her head and gazed fondly at her daughter, though in those eyes Akane could see the lingering hold of dread.

"It is a week from the day, that it is." Akane said calmly.

Jinx cracked her fingers over her arms, keeping the graceful limbs locked over her chest. Her lips were in a tight line and anyone who knew her knew that that was her frown. Raven's face did have a frown, what Akane had said was no surprise, she had been calendaring the date before Akane was even born; but having her daughter acknowledge the fate before her was a stab she wasn't prepared for.

Akane stepped forward until her toes were only inches away from Raven's and leaned forward to hug her mother. She felt Raven's sigh run through her with the intensity of a shudder. "I believe I have found a reprisal for my prophecy, that I do."

Jinx leaned forward, Raven leaned backwards and Arella dropped the plate she was holding. Raven's purple eyes shifted back and forth gently tracing the slope of Akane's features. They had the same eyes and when their faces were set to worry, they had the same mouth. Akane's lips were in a straight line, Raven's turned downwards.

"What do you mean?"

Akane stood up straight and generated a tiny ball of her shimmering gold energy. It twisted gently above the cup of her hand, rolling over itself like living fire or roaring water. Raven watched the sphere of energy move, totally unsure of Akane's direction. The black haired half-demoness twisted her fingers gently in a curse hex that Raven didn't know, but Jinx did.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex." Akane whispered. Her magic and her cursery mixed, shifting the formation of her expelled energy, taking the shape of a mirror. The mirror showed a rather large grey stone, locked in an earthen pedestal. Radiating from the stone was a distinct black power; one Raven was intimately familiar with.

"The Yiken Stone of Grave." Raven realized.

Akane nodded. "Azar Sabrah has foreseen me giving my life energy to Doomgaze before I encounter the Yiken Stone. I believe that if I encounter Trigon first, then I can challenge and defeat him at full strength." Akane collapsed the magical image.

"Can that be done?" Arella asked.

A tear nearly escaped from Raven's eye as she shook her head in the negative. "Akane, you do not have the full strength to defeat Trigon."

"If that is true now, then I will get stronger, that I will."

"It will take much more than strength to defeat the Great Demon Kings." Jinx said.

"Then I shall give it much more than that, that I will." Akane replied. "Aunt Astarte, Grandmother, Mother, we must have hope for the impossible, indeed it is the only thing which sustains life."º

Her words had been brave and Raven had desperately wanted to believe in them. There was a possibility that the disordering of the prophecy could somehow bring about the results that Raven desired; but as they were, they did not have the strength to match Trigon.

Raven sat on Akane's bed and touched her forehead, her hair, her lips, her shoulder before pulling a blanket up around the girl's neck. The day Akane was born; Raven retrieved a gift from her bag. She had opened it the day she arrived in Azarath, the gift that the Titans had so thoughtfully picked out. It was a blanket in a shimmering white fabric, softer than anything Raven had ever held to her skin. Every night, despite her age, Raven covered Akane in it.

She had heard Jinx's footsteps as she entered her room, but hadn't thought to turn her gaze from her resting daughter to acknowledge her. She knew what Jinx was going to say before she said it and Jinx knew that Raven knew so she didn't say it. Instead she looked down at her sleeping niece. The much younger girl didn't have a trace of Laseri tu Tetris in her, except in her ability to readily ingest hex arts. She lacked their ability to faze; really she lacked all ability from her paternal side. It was both a gift and a curse. As far as Jinx knew, Doomgaze couldn't get to Schala with all the pollution in her blood, the traces of Trigon, Arella and Jinx's mother diluted the influence in Schala's energy. Jinx herself was not pulled at by Doomgaze, mostly because she served no real purpose as long as Schala was alive. It might have been selfish for Jinx to want Schala to disprove her prophecy solely for the aim that Washu and Doomgaze didn't resort to reincorporating her into their plot, but selfish or no, she was going to do her part in making sure that when the final spell was cast, Washu would fall and Doomgaze would no longer be one for this world.

And the weapon that would see to it was resting under the gaze of her mother.

"She'll need help…" Jinx said.

"And she'll have it."

…

º"Maybe we should talk to Starfire… she hasn't been herself for a long time… for as long as…"

"We've been together?" Raven posited.

Robin nodded, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. It had been a total of five months and sixteen days since their first kiss. Robin didn't think they'd ever get out of the desperate for the other's touch phase and in honesty, Robin didn't care if they never did. Feeling her fingers on his cheeks, his lips on hers, his chin on her shoulder, her ear on his chest; Robin didn't know that he was so desperate for simple intimacy, but her kiss drove him every day, her mind inspired him and her body generated the most vivid fantasies. They weren't the kind to rush; they savored every moment they were in the hands of the other, no matter where and no matter how long.

The where was currently on the roof, Robin was standing in front of Raven, his green gloved hands were latched onto the curve of her hips, hers were spiraling around his neck, playing with the short hairs at the base of his skull.

"I think she understands well enough what happened." Robin replied gently.

Raven nodded. "But the warrior part in her still wants to tear me apart."

Robin snickered slightly, kissing her cheek. "You're a big girl; you can handle yourself… you proved that at the Tournament of Heroines."

"Starfire's a big girl too, that doesn't mean we shouldn't take care of her."

"How should we do this?" Robin asked, realizing that Raven wasn't going to let them dance around this any longer. In truth, they had put it off for far too long. It had been something that came with such ease, that neither of them could feel like any part of it was wrong. They didn't want to hurt anyone or rather, neither of them wanted to hurt Starfire, because in the truth of it all, Starfire was the only one with a chance to get hurt. Raven had fought Starfire, she knew that the Tameranian powerhouse had been hurt and they were the only ones who could ease that hurt, if that hurt could be satisfied with words and gestures. Robin knew better than Raven that sometimes the only remedy was time.

"I want you to talk to her." Raven replied.

"It would be a bad idea for us to gang up on her."

"That's why I want you to talk to her alone."

"What?" Robin frowned, his fingers lifted, one at a time, from the soft place on her hip, before padding back down on the same place.

"You don't inspire 'the fight of the cat' from her. I'm still the last person she wants to talk to right now."

"Don't you think we should fix that?"

Raven nodded. "But you're really the first person she'd want to talk to. You're her best friend, no matter where we go with this relationship."

"You're right."

"Yes, I am." Raven replied.

Raven pulled her hands from his hair and walked away, already he missed her. Despite how cool and calm Robin could be when he held Raven, he was at the emotional level of a thirteen year old boy. He had never been in a real relationship, though if Barbara Gordon had heard him say that… he didn't even want to think about the repercussions.

Robin watched Raven leave, watched her move slowly, sort of like the full moon did in the middle of the night. She was graceful, she was beautiful and she was absolutely right: there was no way he could put off talking to Starfire when his feelings for Raven were evolving so rapidly and so powerfully.

Hurting others was something Robin did unintentionally or when he was exceptionally careless. Unfortunately he did it often. He had hurt his team, hurt the city and hurt his best friend. Whatever beautiful thing was building between him and Raven didn't make his carelessness with Starfire acceptable. In fact, it made it worse.

Robin walked down the flight of stairs, just as Raven did before him, his arms swayed slowly in his less than confident stride. He had a walk for every mood: the one on display told everyone to clear out of the way; he had work to do.

The only thing Robin found in Starfire's bedroom was a tiny wooden replica of Starfire and her bumgorf napping noisily on the pedestal bed. He frowned; he usually just had a sixth sense when it came to knowing where Starfire was. It was something he had chalked up to being a good leader for a long time, before he admitted to himself that there was something behind the looks and hugs they shared.

He had exactly one girlfriend before he started dating Raven and it was Barbara Gordon, but what he had compared nothing to what he felt for Raven and wasn't even on the level of what he felt for Starfire. Both Barbara and Star had been something akin to puppy love for the Boy Wonder, but there was just something more about Starfire that made the two situations so very different.

ººHe had met Starfire on accident twice in nearly the same way, two hours apart. The first time he had walked directly into her as he and Cyborg were turning a corner. He had collided, rather firmly, with the lost girl surprisingly knocking her down. He had done the gentlemanly thing and reached down to offer her a hand and her touch and her gaze had been electric. At that point he hadn't fully appreciated Raven's beauty so she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He knew she was alien, everything about her cried "not from here". She took his hand, squeezed a little too tightly; he bruised later, but hadn't minded. She gave "many apologizes" and asked for assistance to locate the "Great Hall of the City of Jump." Cyborg had no clue what that meant but Robin figured out that she meant Jump City Hall. He pointed her in the right direction and watched her float away for a few seconds. He hadn't thought much of it.

He thought much more of it when he and his team of four: Raven, Cyborg, himself and Beast Boy encountered Overload a few hours later. The team was still new, beginning to understand the dynamics of utilizing their strengths together. Cyborg and Beast Boy had discovered the T-Rex Takedown was rather efficient combination, erupting a screech from the electrically charged villain. Raven was in waiting, holding steady for Robin's cue to unleash her magic. Robin stood in a crouched position, with freeze discs clenched between his fingers.

The sight of the battle had been a hydroelectric plant. It was the initial plan to knock Overload into the hydro-part and be done with it, but the beast with no brains apparently wasn't brainless. It weaved and dodged nimbly, shifting its physiology to evade most attacks. Robin gritted his teeth when the villain struck Cyborg, slamming him into Raven and taken them both out of the fight. He turned to watch to make sure his team members were okay when Overload gave him something else to worry about. The blow had hurled the Titans' leader through the glass roof and into the ravine not feet away. He was in the torrenting water not three seconds when a hand reached in and pulled him out. He sputtered and coughed, his masked eyes fogged until he was dropped to the ground. A warm hand had touched his back.

"You are… undamaged?"

Robin turned his head and saw her again. It was the same alien girl. She was smiling softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine… how did you get me out of the water?"

"I am gifted with the marvelous ability of flight. I saw you… Please, are you not gifted with flight as well? You flew a great distance from the building of hydraulic engineering."

Robin sweat dropped. "No… that flight wasn't because I wanted to. I'm fighting Overload and my friends need me. Thank you for your help, but I've got to go."

Robin got to his feet and ran back to assist, surprised to find the alien flying beside him. "What are you doing?"

"Perhaps I may be of assistance. I was trained as a warrior for my home planet Tameran. I do not wish to see my new friend endangered when I can help."

_New friend? I don't even know her name_. Robin said nothing, though in truth he hoped the fighting was already over so not to endanger the pretty girl. She didn't look strong; she looked like a stiff wind would knock her over.

No such luck. Beast Boy morphed into an eel and absorbed Overload's charge, but found that the villain's arsenal was more than he could handle. The green fighter dropped to the floor shocked. Robin pulled out his bo-staff. "Stay back!" He warned to the girl, but found that she wasn't behind him. He watched in awe as the girl took to the air and unleashed a flurry of green energy blasts, throwing them like stones to skip across the water. The other Titans froze as the new comer dove in and tackled the electric fiend, knocking him several feet away. He became close enough from the waters edge that Raven could lift the panel beneath its feet and tip him inside. Overload shorted out and Raven retrieved its core.

"Dude!" Beast Boy said as he rubbed the back of his head. The alien girl returned to the ground, her alien powers withdrawing in favor of a smile. "That was awesome."

"Please, who is Dude? Is it more of the Earth lingo to address strangers?" The girl asked.

"Uhh?"

"I take it you're not from around here." Cyborg said.

"You are correct new friend. I am from a distant planet of Tameran. I came to the Earth seeking to make friends and what bountiful opportunity I have been afforded!"

The team was totally unprepared for the alien initiated group hug that ensued. Raven cringed as Cyborg grimaced, he could hear his parts grinding against themselves.

"Okay, you can let go now!" Raven demanded.

The girl released her grasp. She seemed slightly offended. "Did I misunderstand? Is that not the appropriate way to greet new friends?"

"Crushing people isn't the way most people do it." Beast Boy admitted as he tried to fix his spine. He morphed into a cat and stretched out, savoring the realignment of his vertebrae.

"Oh. I have offended you." The girl sagged her shoulders. "It seems that the customs of Earth are much more difficult than I am prepared for… perhaps I should leave."

"Whoa! Hey! That's not!" Robin said, stepping in the path of the retreating girl. _She looks so sad… it doesn't feel right…_ "Giving up isn't the answer. Maybe we could help you."

"Yeah and you can definitely help with the butt kicking you just did." Cyborg added.

Raven could almost see the question formulated in the alien girl's brain about what butt was involved. "It means you did a good job." Raven said before she could ask. Raven wasn't particularly tolerant of bubbly and the red head alien girl was bubbly personified. The least she spoke, the less Raven would want to throttle her.

"You are willing to teach me the ways of the Earth? Then you wish to be my friends for ever and ever?" The girl floated in the air, her eyes wide and expecting. The Titans' eyes widened collectively.

"Ummm, sure." Robin replied.

Fireworks seemed to go off behind the girl's eyes and she danced merrily and offered to perform a traditional Tameranian song of new friendship. Raven passed and the moment was lost.

"By the way… what's your name?" Robin asked.

"My name is… Starfire."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Star. I'm Robin and we're the Teen Titans."ºº

Robin found it funny that he could remember every detail of that day. He hadn't thought about it so long… it was difficult to remember a time when Starfire wasn't a part of the team. She had fit right in, as much as an alien could fit in with a half-robot, a changeling, a mystic and a former ward. But it worked and the Teen Titans became legendary. Starfire had taken to Robin immediately, maybe because he was the most patient or possibly because of his handsome face or just because she saw him first. They had become friends and…

_And now things are different than I had foreseen it those years ago… but then again, I don't have foresight to begin with. _

Robin entered the common room and saw that his entire team, save Starfire was there. Speedy was laying on the couch listening to music; Raven was drinking tea with Celine and Sakura; Terra, Beast Boy, D'ucel and Cyborg were watching TV, and Aqualad and Blackfire were eating lunch.

He was suddenly very glad that he didn't have foresight, because in a million years he never would have thought of this. Behind his back the door slid open and Starfire entered, wearing a smile he hadn't seen in months.

"Friends rejoice greatly! I have glorious news!" Starfire shouted as soon as she was within the room.

"What is it Star?" Robin asked.

"Today is a great day!"

"Another Tameranian festival?" Speedy asked.

"No, even better dear friends! Today is the two year anniversary of our formation of the Titans!" Starfire revealed a calendar with the date circled, in pink pen the words "Titans Anniversary" was scribbled in bubble letters.

"Two years?" Beast Boy seemed to count on his fingers. When he ran out he smiled, his eyes went wide and glossy. "It has been two years!"

Raven shook her head, Celine laughed behind her hand.

"Raven, Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg… the original five. You must have seen a lot together." Aqualad said.

"Yes! We have seen many wondrous things and encountered a great number of wonderful friends! We must celebrate our friendship!" Starfire bounced merrily.

"I'm sure we can arrange something for you five," Sakura said. "Us new ones can put something together."

Fox, Aqualad, Blackfire and Speedy agreed.

"No, no! We must celebrate all of our friendships! New Titans and old!"

"A party?" Celine asked.

"Yes! With the exchanging of gifts and warm feelings! It will be the Christmas!" Starfire floated in the air, the Titans could see her childlike daydream of the Titan chibis exchanging gifts and sharing smiles.

"Starfire, its July." Cyborg pointed out.

Starfire would not be deterred. "Then we shall have a Christmas in July!"

Robin smiled. The others gave in.

"Alright Starfire. We'll have your party. But how should we do this?" Cyborg asked.

"We can perform the activity where each of us is a mysterious rendition of the fat man of jolly!"

Starfire didn't realize how she had misspoken, but most of the Titans didn't catch on.

"She means Secret Santa." Robin stated and the rest of the Titans caught on.

"Yes, Yes! We must be the Secret Santas! We can all go to the Mall of Shopping and prepare for the festivities tonight!"

"Here we go." Celine said, presenting a bowl with the names of all the Titans in them. They drew in no particular order, except that Robin drew first and Starfire drew last. There were frowns, mostly from Terra and Starfire, and there were smiles, specifically from Aqualad and Robin and everyone else seemed neither ecstatic nor displeased.

The Titans split in their voyages. There were attempts to keep tabs on others, specifically those whose names they had drawn. It was obvious to Robin that Beast Boy had drawn his name and despite her best efforts, Starfire was terribly aware of where Raven was.

Robin found Starfire staring into a window for a rather dark mysticism Shoppe in the far corner of the mall. She seemed reluctant to enter, she worried her lip and fidgeted, it was something Robin had never seen before. The Titans' leader put a hand on her shoulder and was just as surprised as she was when she squeaked and leapt two feet into the air.

"Sorry Star, I didn't mean to scare you." Robin admitted when the girl calmed her nerves and returned to the ground below.

"There is no need for the apologies Robin. I was… distracted." But Starfire had a habit of honest when it came to Robin, so she continued to say what was on her mind. "Perhaps the proper term is low in the landfills?"

"You mean down in the dumps?"

"Yes, that is the correct term. I have been on this planet for two years; I am still in the wondering if I will ever get the handle of Earth jargon."

"I'd say you're doing fine Star. Language is complicated; it separates as many people as it draws together. You've come a long way in two years, I'd say." Robin replied.

"A lot of things have changed in the last two years, have they not?" Starfire asked.

"Things change all the time."

Starfire shuffled her feet. She took her eyes from Robin's and looked back at the display case. "Some changes are more welcome than others."

Robin frowned. "Does this have to do with the name you drew?" He knew from the Shoppe that Starfire had drawn Raven's name. She was the only one among them who would appreciate the gifts of that particular Shoppe. Starfire kept her eyes on the window Shoppe, though she could easily see their reflections in the mirror. She was sad again, she had been sad for a long time. Her natural energy kept her from drowning in sorrow, she wasn't capable of feeling depressed: lonely, yes; isolated, yes; and maybe even regret… but her life habits kept her in good spirits: to make sure she remained such was the obligation of the team and Robin had the distinct impression that he was letting her down.

Robin put his hand on her arm gently. "We never… talked about what happened… between you and me and Raven."

Her bright green eyes tipped towards her feet, just catching a glimpse of Robin's arm touching hers. "I did not wish to." Starfire admitted.

"What about now?"

"I do not know… though I have been able to move on… it is still a difficult feeling to grasp… In my heart I am happy for the both of you, I truly am… but the warrior part of me sometimes desires to tear her apart…" Robin raised an eyebrow at her words and Starfire flushed red from her forehead down. She turned to Robin, a look of absolute horror in her eyes. "Many apologies! Such a terrible thing to say, I did not mean to…"

Robin shook his head. "Starfire, I understand."

"You do?"

"I do." Robin said, nodding his head to affirm his statement.

"And you do not think me a terrible friend?"

"Starfire, no matter what changes, you're still my best friend."

"That will always bring me great joy Robin. However, the loneliness I feel cannot be satisfied so easily. When I see the way you look at Raven, or how Aqualad gazes gently at my sister or how Speedy longs to be near Sakura… I recall how no one longs to be near me."

"Starfire, don't think like that!" Robin dropped his shopping bag to the side and secured Starfire's face in his hands. "Starfire, listen to me! Are you listening?"

The girl's shocked expression didn't change, but she nodded her head in the affirmative.

"You are a beautiful girl, both on the inside and outside. There are millions who adore you and I'm one of them. Everyone sees what a wonderful person you are and I know without a doubt that sometime soon you're going to meet the person who you'll want to hold your heart."

_The tragedy is that I thought I had found that person…_ Starfire's gaze slowly shifted and in the not too far distance, she could see Raven slowly, in the graceful way she did, move into a store. Robin turned to follow her gaze and saw Raven as well. Starfire could see that just from the sight of her he would change his disposition from whatever it was to one of happiness. _He loves her for her moon pale skin, her dark eyes and intelligent voice. What did he ever love me for?_

Robin saw the defeat in her eyes and slowly took his hands from her face. "I'm sorry that your feelings were hurt Starfire. The last thing we ever wanted to do was hurt you." Robin admitted.

"I know that Robin. The heart wants as the heart wants."

She could tell that he was trying to formulate a way to explain himself without hurting her further. She had never been terribly good at reading Robin, it was one of the differences between her and Raven, but she did know that in her heart, that there were things in his heart that she knew better than Raven: it was the privilege of a best friend. She believed his words, that someone would come to hold her heart, that she would find the happiness that he had found… she just wanted it soon.

"Maybe you should talk to someone," Robin offered, interrupting Starfire's thoughts. "Someone who knows what---"

"Robin, would you like to exchange our recipients?" Starfire cut him off. It was decidedly un-Starfire like, but Robin accepted the fact that things were different and things were bound to change. "Perhaps you would like to be the Secret Santa for Raven; you would afford her a much better gift."

Robin shook his head in the negative. He reached down to the bag at his side, shaking it for Starfire's gaze. "I've got the person I wanted to give this too and if I give you mine then you'll know who I had. That takes a lot of the fun out of it."

"I suppose that is correct. But perhaps you may be of assistance in my search for an appropriate gift for Raven!" Starfire in truth wanted to spend more time with Robin. For the last few months their minds had been occupied with everything but each other. She missed him and she knew that in a different way, he missed her.

"I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her Star. As long as it's from your heart, anyone would."

Robin helped her shop, really just to spend time with her. She had a soft smile on her face when the Titans returned to the tower and in the company of her friends she was merry to match the festivities.

"Alright, all the presents are lined up! Let's open them!" Aqualad declared.

They sat down in a circle and pulled the wrappings away from their respective gifts, some (Beast Boy) more hurriedly than others.

"The best part of Secret Santa is to guess who got you what." Robin said, holding up his new punching bag. "I'll go first. My Secret Santa was definitely Beast Boy."

"How did you know!" Beast Boy shrieked.

"Superior detective skills." Robin replied.

Raven rolled her eyes gently. "You know Boy Wonder, a little ego deflation never hurt anyone." Robin balked, but continued to stroke her arm gently as she turned to address the youngest Titan. "Beast Boy, everyone knew you had Robin."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I need to work on being inconspicuous huh?"

"Oh yeah." Aqualad replied.

"Well," Beast Boy decided, not to be discouraged. "I bet I can guess who got me my gift! It was Cyborg for sure!"

Cyborg shook his head in the negative. "Sorry BB, not me." He was doing his best to piece together a model car that looked suspiciously like the T-car.

"Uhh, Robin?" Beast Boy tried again.

"Nope."

"Raven?"

"Not on your life." Raven replied.

"Star?" A head shake. "Speedy?" Another head shake. "Aqualad?" Swing and a miss.

"For the love of martial arts! It was me Beast Boy!" Sakura shouted.

"Right, you were my next guess." Beast Boy replied thoroughly embarrassed.

Aqualad was the proud owner of a pair of goldfish, which he immediately named Gill Girl and Tram. He guessed Raven correctly in the first try. Sakura gasped in delight over her Japanese tea set and was more than a bit surprised to find that Blackfire had given her the prize. The wrapping on Blackfire's present had warned "extreme caution" and the alien powerhouse had taken a good deal of time to find that her gift was a crystal globe. Her eyes were wide in wonderment as the crafted interior was none other than Atlantis. She immediately turned to Aqualad.

"It is beautiful." She smiled.

"Glad you like it." Aqualad replied.

"Is this an accurate reproduction of the landscape of your home?" Blackfire asked.

"No, it's much more beautiful… you'd fit right in."

Blackfire blushed. Celine "awed", Beast Boy gagged and Terra made her guess. She held the blue star-shaped pillow with the words "Rock Star" stitched in with red lettering.

"It wasn't Beast Boy or Raven or Blackfire or Aqualad… maybe… Foxfire?"

D'ucel shook his head in the negative. "I did not."

"Ugh… Sakura?"

"Nope."

"Thought not." Terra muttered under her breath. "Cyborg?"

"Sorry kid. Not me."

"Is it so impossible to believe that is was me?" Speedy asked.

"You Speedy?" _Hmmm… _

Somehow Foxfire knew that Cyborg had given him his gift and Raven adored her mystic stone collection. She guessed Starfire correctly on the first try and even hugged her. Starfire sat rather surprised, but undoubtedly happy, staying still long enough for Aqualad to notice that Celine hadn't opened hers.

The red haired genius opened the box and the contents of which seemed to horrify the others. It was a doll, a rather unattractive doll that looked as if it had been handed down for generations it was so beaten up. It was barely bigger than the palm of Celine's hand, her dress was torn and the yarn hair was so matted it looked brown rather than red.

"I love it." Celine said.

The other Titans fell over in bewilderment. Celine looked around the circle of friends and figured it was best to explain herself. "This is a Winter Abby doll. I had one just like it when I was a kid. I used to bring it around with me wherever I went and played with it all the time. They don't make these any more and from the wear and tear, this one was loved the way mine was. Cyborg, where did you find it?"

"Umm, it wasn't mean Omicron."

"Beast Boy?" Celine asked.

"Nah uh."

"But then…"

"Actually, I got it Celine." Terra replied.

"Oh, thank you Terra. I never thought I'd see one of these again."

It was hard to read Terra's facial expression from that point on, but really no one paid attention to it. The Titans turned back to Starfire. She finally opened her gift and revealed a beautiful blue and gold dream catcher. The small ornament was stunning; the light fell over it in a delicate dance, spinning slightly from every tiny inhale and exhale from the Tameranian princess.

"What a whimsical device. Please, what is it?" Starfire asked.

"It's a dream catcher, Star." Robin replied.

"A catcher of dreams… what a beautiful idea. This will hold onto those things which we have lost?"

"If you want…" Robin replied.

"That's absolutely beautiful." Celine said. All the Titans had stopped to watch the tiny interplay between the green light gently radiating from Starfire's eyes dancing over the gold and blue trinket.

"I thank you Robin for purchasing this device on my behalf." Starfire said.

"Actually Starfire, I didn't buy that."

"You made this charm?"

"No, I mean, I didn't draw your name."

"You didn't?" Raven asked.

"No, I got Speedy." Robin replied.

Starfire frowned. Speedy hadn't taken his guess yet and come to think of it, only Robin would buy a "Second Place is Best" gag gift to accompany Speedy's new music player.

"Celine, did you purchase this delightful trinket?"

"No, Celine got me." Cyborg said. Celine nodded in agreement.

"Then did you purchase this, Cyborg?"

"No, not me. I got Foxfire remember."

"Then that's everyone." Beast Boy frowned.

"Everyone except Foxfire." Robin replied.º

Her communicator chimed gently, catching the beautiful redhead at the end of a day dream. Silkie plopped down excited in front of her, her communicator secure between his lips. She outturned her hand and her bumgorf spat the controller into her palm. She flipped the device open and was elated to see Cyborg's face.

"Cyborg! I am very pleased to see you again! I hope this is signs of a successful mission and your immediate return."

"Uh, yeah." Cyborg replied, slightly miffed that his announcement was so obvious to the Tameranian princess. "That's exactly what it is, Star. We're on our way back. The Brotherhood of Evil has been defeated and the world is safe for young heroes."

"That is wonderful news! We anxiety await your return!"

"We might have to stay a couple of days."

"Why is that?"

"From the way Beast King's mom and Negative man are staring at each other, we might have a wedding on our hands."

"It seems that even far away, our friendship is connected by similar events." Cyborg didn't understand the cheer in her voice or why the twenty year old girl was jumping up and down on her bed.

"Huh? There isn't another arranged marriage for you on Tameran is there?"

"No. My sister and Tempest have decided to commit their ever after to each other." Starfire corrected.

"Woo-hoo! Way to go Tempest and Blackfire! It's nice to see that things are coming back together."

"Indeed friend! Please make haste in your return!"

"You got it Star! Cyborg out!"

Starfire smiled and leapt from her bed. Silkie was inadvertently dumped on the floor, but the mutant larvae did not protest. Starfire floated from her room to the common room where she found her sister and Tempest.

"Friends! Rejoice Greatly! The Brotherhood of Evil has been vanquished by the efforts of our friends!"

"That's great!" Tempest shouted.

"They will be making the sojourn home soon! I must proceed to give the good word to Speedy and D'ucel!"

Starfire did not know where to locate D'ucel, but she knew where to find Speedy. She floated cheerily to the medic ward, knowing that Speedy would be waiting there, sitting in the cool way he did, his hands crossed behind his head as he leaned back and daydreamed. She had seen Speedy at the extremes of his emotional capacity, sometimes he would sit calmly, smiling even, as if he were recalling sweet memories of the time he had spent with Sakura in total animation. Sometimes he sat with his face in his hands, letting the worry of forever take over his body. As far as Starfire knew, Speedy had always possessed a presence of about him, something that said "life abundant" in his veins. No one could be so cocky and self-assured without just cause. She had seen less of the remorseful Speedy over the last year, much less than before Raven had been found. It had been Speedy's hope that Sakura would only be incapacitated until she could no longer interfere with the plans of the Slade Syndicate, but time had shown that that was simply not the case.

She could hear his voice before she turned into the medical room. D'ucel, that is, she could hear D'ucel's voice as she approached. She stopped just outside the door, that's where she stood when the words became clear.

"Are you afraid?"

Starfire peeked her head inside just in time to see Speedy shake his head in the negative. To say Speedy had changed was an understatement. Every inch of boyishness from his face was gone. His jaw was square; his red hair tussled and toppled to his chin, though usually it was pushed firmly behind his ears. Though his uniform was in essence the same, it had been modified to accommodate the shape of the man he had become. The truth was except for Cyborg and D'ucel all the Titans had gone through some sort of metamorphosis. Even in her suspended animation, the physical maturation of total womanhood had become of Sakura. Sometimes Starfire wondered if, when Sakura woke up, she would recognize herself.

Speedy turned his face to Sakura's face.

"Afraid?" He said. "Not for me. I know what I feel and as long as I can be there for her…"

D'ucel shook his head. "Do not lie to me Speedy. I know that desperate feeling."

Speedy let his masked eyes meet D'ucel's blue eyes. "I guess you do. You really loved Blackfire didn't you?"

Starfire couldn't hide her frown, but it didn't matter if she hid it or not. They couldn't see her. D'ucel nodded in the affirmative to Speedy's inquisition. It was no secret that D'ucel loved Blackfire, it was the basis of them even meeting Tameran's Foxfire and that love had lead to many beautiful things in the Titans' lives: they gained a new friend, Blackfire regained her memory and Tempest had guaranteed the safety of his heart for all time.

Speedy had known the answer before D'ucel had given it to him. He felt bad for making the guy put his feelings in words: he felt better of it when D'ucel didn't say anything, just nodded his head. "How do you deal with not being able to love her the way you want to? I mean, she's around you all the time." Speedy asked.

Starfire's hands pressed against the wall as she tried to press closer to the room without being seen. D'ucel was normally very soft spoken when it came to the subject of her sister. He had told her exactly once what he thought of the situation. She wondered if time would reveal a different face.

"It has become… easier over time. Though the burden of a love lost is painful, Komand'r is happy. Tempest makes her happy and so I am happy."

Speedy didn't agree. "No, you aren't. No one is that well adjusted… I'm sure as hell not."

"Perhaps… I would like to believe that there is more than one opportunity for love in my life. I cannot condemn neither Komand'r nor Tempest for the happiness they have found. I understand that the heart wants as the heart wants."

Starfire came into the room before Speedy could reply. She stopped between the two of them, her uneasiness had been radiating from the hallway. D'ucel would not tell her that he was aware of her the entire time.

"Koriand'r, something concerns you?" D'ucel asked.

"Not concern…" Starfire remembered herself and why she had come to find them. "I… Friends. Rejoice Greatly. The Brotherhood of Evil has been vanquished by the efforts of our friends."

Speedy smiled and D'ucel stood up. "That is very welcome news." D'ucel said.

D'ucel had just turned to remove his hand from Starfire's shoulder when Speedy spoke. Starfire turned to stand beside Foxfire, raising her opposite hand to rest over D'ucel's hand on her shoulder.

"And it couldn't come at better time." Speedy said.

…

The knock sounded rather firmly and before Raven opened her eyes she knew what time it was. She knew what day it was: who they were: and why they'd come. It was her birthday: 12:01 in the AM, the day when the prophecy cycle began, the prophecy for when this world would be cast in shadow… and it was time for her to go.

When Raven did open her eyes, Arella was standing over her holding a lamp. Raven's purple eyes raised and took in the sight of her mother. She was crying and before Raven could stop it a tear feel down her cheek as well.

Raven threw down her blanket, pulled her legs to the edge of the bed and used the nightstand to give her the strength to get out of bed. Her moon-pale fingers touched the only ornament she hadn't packed last night, before she had entered her fretful sleep. Raven took the music box into her hands. The gift reminded her of a promise she had to keep.

She reached under the bed with her magic and retrieved a medium sized package that was wrapped in bright colored paper. She didn't know why she had waited so long to give the gift to Akane. She didn't know what was in it and if it were something who's use had expired. The fear of commitment was latched in whatever was wrapped safely in that paper; somehow she had convinced herself that if Akane never saw this gift that she could forget about the year that she had lost again, even though the idea of lost was the same. Raven loved her daughter very much, she only wished that the circumstances behind her birth had been better for all of them.

Arella turned to look over her shoulder as Schala tu Akane entered the bedroom. Her purple eyes were clear and focused. "It is time to go, that it is."

"Schala, Watashine Kaiyen Mortien Mor." (Schala come here and listen to me.)

Akane frowned but did as her mother directed. Raven passed the gift from her pale hands, her touch lingering as she took in the contrast of her skin and her daughter's. Beneath that skin pumped blood that was mired by the same circumstance as her own. The difference between their heritages was a matter of fear. Not for one moment, in any instance she could control, did Akane experience fear. She was trained through consequence, disciplined through necessity and nurtured with love; never did Raven push her daughter forward or away because of what was to come to pass.

Akane's fingers moved slowly under her mother's. She pulled the bright paper away, something about the warm green color of the paper felt familiar or at the very least welcome. Raven's hand fell away and Akane took a look at her gift.

"Mother, what is it?"

"It's a dream catcher."

"It's beautiful… what is it for?"

The memory struck Raven in her heart and she shook her head trying to make her past and her present collide. "This will hold onto those things which we have lost…"

"I don't understand."

"Sometimes I don't understand what Robin does."

"This is from Robin? He gave it to you before I was born?"

Raven nodded.

"Perhaps he meant it for you?"

Raven shook her head in the negative. "He wanted you to have something for you to know him by. I'm sorry I waited to give it to you."

"It's alright. I don't think this is the kind of gift that you can lose appreciation for through time. I've already forgotten what it feels like to not have it, that I have." Akane took the ornament and tied it to her wrist. It was just small enough that it dangled and rested in her palm.

Raven looked to her daughter, carefully brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. Akane smiled at her mother. "I don't want you to me worried, mother, that I do not."

"Its natural instinct sweetheart… a mother can't help but worry."

Akane turned her head when she felt a new shadow fall on her shoulders. She and Raven lifted purple eyes and Arella turned her shoulder to see behind her. Astarte tu Jinx stood in front of them all, hands on her slender hips. The four of them standing together, made a unique image.

"It's time to go." Jinx said simply.

Raven nodded, Akane nodded and Arella accepted the loss. Arella followed them as far as the doorway and watched the three much younger girls walk from her home in close to a straight line. Jinx stepped out first and waited while Raven and Akane said their goodbyes.

"I promise to visit grandmother as soon as things are right, that I will." Akane said as she hugged the older woman.

Arella said nothing, catching Raven's eye over Akane's shoulder. When the smaller girl turned to leave, Raven didn't replace her. The two stood a few feet away, Raven in profile, Arella's lips set in a frown.

"Be safe."

Arella frowned deepened. She didn't know what to expect her daughter to say, but that wasn't within the spectrum Arella thought of as possibilities. Raven didn't know how often Arella cried thinking about the lives she had ruined when she herself was just a stupid child. Everything that was terrible in Raven's life, in Akane's life… in the lives of people who didn't know her… everything that bred darkness in fear was a consequence of Arella's foolishness.

And now, after the years and years of torment that Arella had helped to produce, everything was culminating and Arella couldn't help but believe that at least one among them would lose their life.

Jinx cracked her knuckles and Raven turned her back to her mother. It had been years since Raven had worn a cloak and it was almost by second nature that she reached behind her to pull her hood up, but her fingers encountered nothing except her hair. So instead of pulling a cloak up, she let her hair down, freeing the long tresses from her braid. Somehow the atmosphere of Azarath reacted to her and the wind began to pull at the strands. Raven said nothing of it, Akane thought nothing of it, Jinx moved forward and Arella moved back, closing the door behind her.

Most of the citizens of Azarath were awake and watched Raven and Akane move. The monks were lined up shoulder to shoulder, human, half demon and demon alike. They marked a pathway and the trio of half demonesses followed it. The path led to the gates of Azarath where Katora, whose anger and self-righteousness was blinding her, stood not feet away from their destination.

Heaven help her if she were foolish enough to open her mouth.

Akane looked up at the portal door. For the first time in her life, which in truth had not been that long, she was going to step outside of Azarath and encounter Earth. She tried not to bite her lip, she was so emotionally confused her head hurt. She stepped forward and raised her hand to the portal door.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex." She whispered.

The gates gave and without another look Akane walked through. Jinx followed shortly behind her. Raven took a step forward, both eyes closed. She felt more than saw Sabrah approach her.

"None of you will ever return here Lethe."

"We never intended to… So nothing is lost."

"Everything is lost to the inevitable Lethe… time will not wait forever."

Raven had heard words like those before. She opened her eyes but did not look in Sabrah's eyes. Katora's mouth twitched to speak and Raven raised a hand to silence her with violence. Sabrah gestured for Katora to desist and place a hand on Raven's to make sure she did.

That wind began again, but this time pushing from behind them, pushing Raven forward.

"I'm going to leave here and prove you wrong Sabrah. Azar Metrion raised me to understand my **role**… he also breed rebellion in me and I will fight everything that stands in the way of my daughter's future."

"Nothing stands in the way of her future Lethe… it is the end that is guaranteed for her. You refuse to see it."

"You were a better person when you recognized you were fallible." Raven said.

"Though the vessel may be flawed, the truth is the truth. Absolute is unchangeable no matter through which channel it travels."

The pain of Sabrah's words clenched her heart and for a moment all of Raven's reserve was taken away. She closed her eyes again and breathed deeply. When her eyes opened she saw Akane and Jinx waiting just outside the gates of Azarath, waiting for her… waiting for the rest of their lives.

"What do you see in my daughter's future if she encounters the Yiken Stone before she encounters Doomgaze?"

"The world cast in shadow."

That was the last sound of Azarath that Raven ever heard. Her boots were silent as she walked forward and behind her back the gates of her birthplace closed so silently, it was difficult to believe that was ever opened. Raven didn't turn back to look at it, but for a few seconds she stopped there.

Jinx turned to face Raven. Raven said nothing and led them to walk forward. Akane walked beside her mother, taking in the unusual color scheme of the path of Azarath. She knew that the depth of color potential was infinite; she hadn't been prepared for colors beyond her range of imagination.

Raven kept her breathing steady, her body outside her chest and mind were moving on its own accord. Her heartbeat was terrible; it had been a long time since the rhythm it had taken had been one of comfort. But this was painful.

Jinx saw in her silence that something was happening to Raven, something that she hadn't expected and something she definitely didn't like. The closer they came to the gate, the more obvious that the protection of Azar Sabrah was nonexistent. Jinx saw it in Akane too, but Akane didn't display her worry.

Raven was and that worried Jinx.

They approached the gate. At the same moment all three of them stopped their feet. The gate was gleyed and earthen; it had as much color as the dirt of Azarath. Akane raised her hand to open the gate with her magic, but Jinx stopped her. The pink haired demoness turned to her companion and watched Raven watch the door.

"Raven… How do you feel?"

"I thought you promised never to ask me that again?" Raven replied.

Jinx shifted her hips. "I've never promised you anything."

"Except everything you know." Raven returned.

"But only in exchange for what I wanted to know. I'll tell you something I've been holding out on, if you tell me what I want to know."

"That agreement isn't valid anymore, Jinx. You don't know more than me."

"I shudder to think how many times you'll have to eat those words."

Akane watched her mother and her aunt behave the way they always had. Their dependence on each other didn't change their disposition. It had something to do with their blood… it didn't get along… except in Akane's body. The black haired half demoness had two demon blood types in her veins, always had. Outside her body that energy couldn't get along, but inside her the instinct to oppose was quieted…

Except she was starting to feel it already.

She didn't know what part of her it was, whether the malice of Doomgaze or the ultimate cruelty of Trigon…. But from the worry she sensed from her mother, it was much easier to believe it was the latter. Something was telling her to get outside the gate and experience the Earth and do what had to be done…

The only thing different in the urge of her blood and the urge of her heart was the definition of "what had to be done."

Schala tu Akane turned to her family; her aunt Astarte tu Jinx and her mother Lethe tu Raven and broke the silence between their stares.

"He's waiting for me." She said simply.

Raven swallowed hard and Jinx turned her eyes towards the ground beside her right foot. Akane felt the dream catcher dangling from her wrist. She knew in her mother's pack was a music box and a singed bunny. Somewhere in her mother's heart, behind the uncertainty and the absolute fear that had been instilled in her since she was born, behind all the crippling aspects of her heart was something gentle that needed to be reawakened. Akane didn't know if she could do it alone… but never in her life had she done anything alone…

"That prophecy is incorrect. Azar Sabrah may possess the gift of foresight, but she is shortsighted… Azar Sabrah sees one thing… but I think it's impossible to see all things. I believe in infinite endings, that I do. And in every single one we defeat Trigon and Doomgaze."

Raven might have cried for her daughter's optimism. Optimism had been breed out of Raven as a child. She was so very glad she hadn't made the same mistake in Akane. Hope lived in that child and Raven would not let that be destroyed.

Akane raised her hand to the door. So did Jinx. So did Raven.

"AZARATH Faeridos Rex." "Endari ENDE Mortix." "Azarath. Metrion ZINTHOS."

…

Patience had never been Beast King's forte. It didn't matter how older or more mature he became, it was just one of those things that didn't come naturally and if he were a different person, he might have worked to correct it. Instead he opened his communicator and found home base.

"Celine, are you sure this is the right place? Nothing is happening and no one is here."

"I'm positive Beast King. I know you're awful at staying still, but this is it. So just sit tight and… well, just keep sitting tight."

The Ring of Azarath contained five gates: Azarath, Endari, Ledona, Serin, Segii and each one of them had an interplay on planet Earth. They were all connected, influencing each other and Earth every moment of every day. In folk lore, by those who believed in the existence of these dimensions but had no proof, the gates were always moving to stay out of a star formation, because when those worlds haloed and shifted into a star shape it would bring about the end of days. They were both correct and incorrect. The ring of Azarath would never fall into a star pattern because of the position of that universe; it wasn't really a ring as it was a spiral with Azarath at the narrow depth and Earth in the open funnel. However, the gates to each fraction of the ring did shift to mark the alignment of the dimensions. Only when they were aligned did those gates open and that's how the Titans knew where to be. It was Raven's birthday and they had to meet her and they left it to Celine to find out where. It was no surprise to them that Raven hadn't told them, if she had her way, there was a good chance she'd try to do whatever she was going to do on her own. But there was no way they were going to let her.

According to the star maps and charts Jinx had left in Raven's room, the only gate that would be opening was the Gate of Segii and that's where they were.

Starfire, D'ucel, Beast King, Cyborg, Tempest, Bumble Bee and Blackfire stood in various degrees of expectedness. It was just past the waking hour and the gate opened.

Starfire blocked her eyes with her forearm when the awful light escaped behind the opened door. She kept one eye closed tightly, but the other could see them clearly. They walked out calmly, their shadows spilling forward first before the light obeyed and showed brown and white and black.

The light quieted, the gate closed and for the first time in a very long time the emotional energy that bombarded the Tameranians was positive energy and if fueled their excitement.

Akane had never seen so much color in her life. Never and she had a suspicion that all the color to be seen in the world was right there in front of her. Green, blue, orange, purple, silver, white, yellow, it was all there for her to see.

"Raven, is that really you?" Tempest asked as he was the first to step forward.

Raven smiled, her heart raced and she smiled. "Yes… I'm…"

"Home." Beast King supplied.

Raven nodded in agreement. The Titans stepped closer and Jinx stepped back, the collective gaze was on Raven, though a particular blue shifted back and forth between her and Raven.

"Raven… then that means…" Cyborg said suddenly unsure what he meant.

"This is my daughter, Akane."

Their eyes shifted to the beautiful half demon.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, that it is." Akane said.

"Wow… Hi Akane, I'm…"

"You're Beast King." Akane finished.

The Titan morph nodded in agreement. Akane turned her gaze between each of them.

"And you are Starfire." Starfire nodded. "Cyborg." Cyborg nodded as well. "Foxfire, Tempest, Bumble Bee, and Blackfire."

She had gotten them all right, but she was frowning. Raven was too.

"Where's Robin?" Raven asked.

Cyborg rubbed the back of his head. "Robin's… not coming."

Raven didn't know if she felt his word in her heart first or in her head. It didn't matter. It hurt and it hurt a lot. Akane frowned, her eyebrows furrowed. She could feel sadness crippling in her mother's heart just as readily has she felt it in her own. But that force from her mother was infinitely stronger than anything Akane believed she was capable of.

"Don't let him scare you. He just means I've changed my name."

Raven turned her head, fast enough to knock a single tear from her eye. Because there he was, emerging from the shadows, standing tall the way she remembered… but everything else was different. His hair was unbridled down his back, his bright uniform was gone, destroying every inch of childishness. He adopted a black form fitting suit, highlighting every muscle and pulse beat that soared through his frame. On his broad chest was a blue emblem and his face was a narrow mask. This wasn't Robin, it was…

"Nightwing." Raven said.

Nightwing came forward. She had to look up to see every inch of his face. Her heart was beating harder than it ever had before. She wasn't sure she could survive it. Her hand reached up gently and so did his. Her hand found the short hairs behind his ears, his found her cheek.

"Raven." He whispered.

Akane discovered the color pink as it flushed over her cheeks as she saw Raven and Nightwing kiss. It was a bright color and looked absolutely beautiful on her mother's face as she held Nightwing close, the way she hadn't been able to since long before the day Akane was born.

The other Titans blushed furiously, Beast King covered his eyes. Raven's other hand found Nightwing's cheek, her eyes still closed but her body knew where it belonged. The first time she felt it, his kiss had been the most beautiful thing she had ever believed was possible in the world. He made her skin sing, he made her heart calm and gave that golden light to every part of her that needed hope…

When he pulled back her head found his shoulder, she had to hold him, she had to feel every moment of this. Just above her chest she could feel his heartbeat.

The blush faded from Akane's cheeks as Jinx cleared her throat. Raven turned to face her team and saw them all… but there were still some missing.

"Sakura?" She asked.

Nightwing shook his head. "She's still sleeping; Speedy's still watching her and Celine's on the console."

From behind his back he retrieved something that belonged to her. She had left it, left it on purpose beside him the day she had left. It was her Titans' communicator. She palmed it gently, never so peaceful to hold a material thing… but it was much more than a material possession… it was the bond of the Titans: it was the strongest one they had, in their infinite strings that tied them together.

She turned her head to see Beast King and Starfire were satisfying their curiosity about Akane. She saw that Nightwing saw as well.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Raven asked.

"Just like her mother… You named her Akane."

"A pretty name for a pretty girl right?"

Nightwing nodded. "What did you tell her? I mean about… Tetris and me and everything?"

"I told her the truth… that she had a father… but she also had someone waiting for her one Earth… and he would love her as much as I did."

Nightwing nodded and walked with Raven to stand beside Akane. The purple eyed girl looked up at him. She smiled and lifted her right arm, pushing back her long sleeve to show her dream catcher.

"I thank you for my gift Otou-sama, that I do."

Nightwing smiled at the term, he had taught Raven very little Japanese and he suspected his sister taught Raven that term and Raven had taught it to Akane… to their daughter.

Nightwing stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked into her purple eyes for just a few seconds before the air shifted and he swore for a moment the ground shifted. Akane gasped and took a step back, her movement pulling Nightwing's fingers from her.

"Akane?"

"I can feel it… he's calling for me." She felt something hammer at her. It was stronger than when it was in Azarath, but this time she had no doubt what it was.

"Trigon." Raven covered her hand in her mouth, she had thought to believe that Trigon's power hadn't extended this far from the Yiken Stone, but it did and it was entering her too. But she didn't care about herself, she needed to get to the stone and she needed to stop it. For everything she had, for everything she had gotten back, for everything that lied in the future.

"Raven."

They all saw it then. The marks were there on Akane's forehead. The mark of Scath didn't mar her pretty face, but it set grimaces into the face of her companions. Raven did not cry. Akane stood as tall as she could. She chanted her mantra gently to herself and found a calm.

"We need to go and stop Trigon now when his minions are unprepared… Akane knows the way to the stone… she's guided by her blood." Jinx said firmly.

Akane nodded. The rest of the Titans set their hearts.

Raven looked out among them, she wanted to smile at the sight of them all, but she could only frown. For as much as it was good to have her friends close, things were still very bad. "The protection of Azarath is void."

Nightwing touched Raven's cheek gently with the back of his gloved hand. Her purple eyes looked into his masked ones, but just like a year ago, she didn't see the mask. She saw the man behind it, the man who held her hope. "Then we'll have to protect her now."

End of Chapter Thirteen

So I skimmed the ending with the Brotherhood of Evil because I don't know how it actually ends and I don't have a good enough understanding of the Brotherhood of Evil/the Doom Patrol to work something out. Larry and Beast King's mom was really just a segway. It won't affect the story anymore. OCs are so much easier to manipulate. Plus, I wanted the reunion to happen this chapter.

So a note about Darkwing. He was only temporary and represented an unsure part of Robin. Robin goes through stages of identity, from his origin, to Richard Grayson, to Robin, Red X, the apprentice, to Darkwing and to Nightwing… only I know where he goes from there.

Please! Please! Please! Please! Go to Photobucket and look at the drawing of adult Raven and Akane. The account is Lankree and it's really important that you understand what Akane looks like.


	52. Dischord Nostra Part One

Dischord Nostra

Part One

Beast King had been raised to believe that all of God's creatures were beautiful. But he had seen things in his life that made him see that that wasn't true. He knew the truth was a great many of God's creatures are downright disgusting. Both physically and in the depths of their souls, Beast King had seen the ugliness that was in mankind; had seen the way things were pulled apart by war and hatred and mistrust: he had seen the crippling effect of human machination and malcontent and rebellion. Nothing could destroy like the ill will of man. It was one of the reasons why he was glad he was a beast before a man, but there were things that reminded him that the other half of him, the part that wasn't feral and instinct driven, wasn't so bad either. Things like playing gamestation with Cyborg, who too only held half a claim to man; and Celine's smile, which was one of the proofs Beast King took with him when he was almost swallowed in the burden of becoming a man… His mother, Celine, Robin… all the wholly human aspects of his life, the good parts that he held in his heart, reminded him that humanity wasn't all bad in its purest forms…

But the purest form of humanity wasn't as glorious as the title 'pure' made it sound. Indeed, the greatest form of hate Beast King would ever witness came in the form of pure human beings.

His legs pumped to keep up, though his stride was long enough to over take the pace. He didn't know where they were going, all he knew was what they were headed for, and only part of what they would have to do when they got there.

The water slipped and poured off the rock formations like natural rain fall. It was rhythmic, just shy of unsettling. The drops glistened in the unnatural light of the Cave of Segii, those without demonic heritage shuddered from the feel of it. Nightwing bit back the sickening feeling he felt creeping across his body. He turned a worried eye to Raven: if his body felt such distress from the demon power, how did Raven, Akane and Jinx feel when their inherent demonic power reacted to it?

From the information they had found in Jinx's maps and Raven's books, the Cave of Segii continued for something like days if traveled by the brave and self-propelled. It had been years since anyone had been into its absolute depths, about twenty two years to any of their best estimates. The cave walls were splattered with markings, some naturally occurring others that were the consequence of Trigon's influence on the world.

Nightwing could see that Trigon's influence was tampering more than just cave walls.

"_**This is the beginning of the grand opportunity. Any daughter you would have bared would be the portal of Trigon... But this child is special. She will fuel Doomgaze and Trigon both for their wars... her creation alone will spark the great power to annihilate the time of mortals."**_

Raven wasn't exactly sure why they were running. The force that was pulsing like fire through the cave energy would make sure they got to the Yiken Stone and got to it when the Ring of Azarath prepared to collide. Somehow Raven knew, blood to blood, bones to bones, that the energy that would come, the energy that Trigon was relying on would spiral through more than just the planet Earth. It would strike down, tunneling through the ring of Azarath and be the end of Azarath… but then again, what was the point of Azarath existing if the Earth did not?

Akane kept the pace, the sting in her blood lead her forward. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. The infinite mark of Scath was blazing in red script in the dead center of her forehead. It made her blood dizzy, as if it were in an anxious pull to leave her body and rejoin the source of its creation. Akane raised her right hand to ball over her heart. The dream catcher brushed under her breast, tinkling softly in a rhythm that opposed her nerves.

She saw it then, on the palm of her right hand, the light of it escaping between the spaces between her fingers. The infinite mark was on her hand in the dead center. From what her mother had told her, from what she had read in the scrolls in the library of Azar Sabrah, that mark was the definition of absolute. Her forehead, she could assume was the will of Trigon on her blood… but the palm of her hand, at the diversity of her power; that was where all things collided.

_I cannot afford to lose hope, that I cannot… _

"So this thing we're heading for… it's where Trigon is?" Tempest asked, breaking the long running silence. Really the only noises that were occurring in the cave other than the whorl of the demonic energy were the out-of-sync footfalls of the group and the harsh and uneven breathing those who ran were expelling. The flying Titans: Bumble Bee, Foxfire, Blackfire and Star felt no painful exhale. Those whose feet connected to the ground: Cyborg, Nightwing, Beast King (who ran on four legs rather than two), Raven, Akane, Jinx and Tempest, ran without minding the dismal earth beneath their feet, they kept moving forward.

"**_One year from her birth… she will be as you are and on the anniversary of the day you were born… the portal will be torn from her."_**

"No," Raven stated. "We're going to the Yiken Stone, it's the place where Trigon's power is sealed. Trigon himself is somewhere else."

"When we defeat the Trigon seal, we will go elsewhere as well to defeat his physical self?" Starfire asked.

"There will be no need. If we stop Trigon here, his physical form will never manifest." Jinx replied.

"But this doesn't end with Trigon, that it does not." Akane added. "The Great Demon Kings are restless. They would use the lastingness of their immortality to generate their war."

"But if we stop Trigon now, will he even be able to start this whole thing again?" Nightwing asked.

"It is our course of action now to make sure we never find out." Jinx replied.

"_**In three months you'll have your baby… one year after that… she is going to live out the end of the world."**_

Raven blinked hard, she had felt something, something bad, but she didn't know what it was. It had started with the ground beneath her feet and filtered into the wind that was whipping through the air.

"Are you okay?" Nightwing asked.

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat._**

"I'm not sure." Raven replied honestly.

"There's something about this wind… it feels like it doesn't belong here." Nightwing admitted.

"I don't know."

The mouth of the middle cave opened and narrowed, causing them to take turns and tremendous caution as they traveled. The way became a bridge, far too narrow to support them in a line. In pairs they sidled across, their feet scuffing unnervingly soft clay. Beast King's foot slipped and the green morph wobbled unsteadily before Akane reached and grabbed him, balancing him and pulling him to safety.

"Thanks."

"We must be very careful." Akane replied.

Their path shifted and one by one the team had to leap down from the cliff ledge to the platform below. Jinx and Cyborg slid one after another, hopping; Jinx gracefully, Cyborg to keep up, leading the transition from higher ground to lower ground. The flying Titans watched the transition, eyes shifting back and forth for any danger. Beast King's cheetah paws bounded swiftly, his form shifting with a grace that Jinx couldn't match. But it wasn't a contest, it was a race and they were all one team heading for the exact same thing…

What hadn't surprised them was that the members of the Slade Syndicate had interfered. What did surprise them was which ones.

Akane had felt it in her blood to run again and as Nightwing helped Raven down from a ledge, the girl gave into the influence and ran. Nightwing frowned and Raven followed and in the mass the others trailed the half demon girl.

They ran and turned, ignoring the muddy stench the cave had taken as they were drawn deeper in. They noticed the earth only when their feet skid to a stop against the suddenly firm soil, Nightwing after Raven after Akane. They stopped one by one and finally in a relaxed mass.

It hadn't taken much imagination to draw a heinous smile on the face that stared back them.

**_Beat, Beat Heartbeat…_**

"You." Raven sneered.

"Me." Terra replied with all the venom the Titans had known years ago.

She stood in front of them, barely twenty one, blond hair tied up and out of the range of her diamond blue eyes. She was no different in height or weight than the last time the Titans had encountered her, but something was different in Terra.

It was her companion.

Terra stood, weight shifted on one hip as her eyes surveyed the team briefly, stopping decidedly on Akane. Nightwing stepped forward, putting his body forward to block Akane from Terra's sight. Terra smirked. She twirled a black comm.-link between her fingers, tilting her head just enough to turn her mouth to the intercom.

"Slade, tell Washu he owes me a favor… I was right; the cowards did try to skip out."

Raven sneered, her black energy boiling with in. Akane didn't know this woman, but from the angry faces of the team around her, she could only be one person.

_Terra Nostra…_

Terra tossed her comm.-link an inch above her shoulder and caught it with a purposeful snap. She secured it behind her back before brushing off the brown-red material of her leotard.

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you? Did you think you could sneak away from us? Tsk, tsk, Birdie Dumdum. There is no escape."

Nightwing could hear the exchange of barbs between Raven and Terra, could hear fists being clenched, teeth grinding and furious breathing, but all his attention was on Terra's companion, who had said nothing, who had done nothing, but was the most magnetic of the personalities in the Cave of Segii. Hooded: too narrow in build to be Red X, too short to be Brother Blood: it was a woman; it had to be, even though the face was masked with the dark grey cloak.

"I know," Terra said sharply, catching Nightwing's attention "that you won't come quietly, but really Raven, save everyone the trouble and give the girl here."

Jinx narrowed her eyes. "I don't know who you are, but it would do you well to move out of the way."

Terra rolled her eyes. Her companion remained absolutely still. "Is this the part where I'm intimidated by a girl with pink hair? Or should we wait for something better?"

The cave began to tremble, Terra's cruel smile remaining fixed as the land danced up and down. The Titans stepped and shifted to keep their balance as the earth heaved and quaked. Beast King's face set in a grimace and Nightwing made sure that Akane kept her footing. "I came here to retrieve Raven's precious baby girl." Terra said, stepping forward without a hint of fear or hesitance even though it was eleven to two… that second one made all the difference.

"You wasted your time. Akane isn't go anywhere with you." Cyborg said, readying his beam cannon.

"Akane?" Terra snorted, turning her head to her companion, who still had yet to move. She smiled coolly before turning her face back to the Titans. Her eyes shifted from Raven to Nightwing to Akane partially hidden by their shoulders. "Looks like we've got a fight on our hands… Good. It was boring without you pathetic Titans to torture. We'll have to make up for lost time."

"We don't have time for this stupidity. Move out of the way." Jinx demanded.

"Or what?" Terra asked.

"There is no or what." Jinx's feral pink energy shelled over her irises.

"You guys wanna go further? You're going to have to get through us." Terra replied.

"Not a problem." Cyborg said, training his weapon. "We've beaten you before, we'll do it again."

And the first fire was shot. Terra rolled her eyes and raised her hand, pulling a column of Earth as a shield, the hardened soil didn't break under the onslaught. Cyborg balked and Terra smirked. Without warning Jinx dashed forward, leaping over the earth barrier. Her echo energy was flashing, her fist drawn back to strike Terra. But it never happened. With Jinx's fist less than a foot from Terra's face, the geomorph's companion raised a slender hand, echoing Terra's motion. Jinx's pink eyes shot wide with shock as a tremendous blast of wind crashed into her, hurling her backwards. Her body twisted out of her control, her back smashing into Terra's earth guard, shattering the shield. Her body was thrown past the Titans, slamming to the ground some thirty feet away. Cyborg's eyes widened in surprise when a column of earth beneath him catapulted him backwards, the mechanical fighter let out a yell before he crashed into the ground, not inches away from Jinx.

Wide eyed Titans turned their eyes from their fallen companions to Terra and her cohort. The yellow glow left Terra's eyes as she dropped her hand back to her side. She wanted them all to see how amused she was, her twisted smile wouldn't do her feelings justice. A casual flick of her hair highlighted her sense of pleasure in the situation she found herself in.

"Oh, but things are different now." Terra said, twirling a stone around her like the moon around the earth. "Not only can I control the earth, but I've got the wind too." Terra's blue eyes sparkled with unveiled venom as the confusion set in around them, as the wind twisted at their hair. She let her control of the spinning stone end, but the wind kept it up, twisting and rolling with natural control. Terra scanned her opponents. "There may be more of you, but the Syndicate has added another player to this game."

Their collective eye shifted to the cloaked fighter at Terra's side. Nightwing gritted his teeth; the wind was coming from there. The good guys waited with worry. Raven clenched her fingers. Of all the people in the universe, they sent Terra, because Washu knew that they'd never be able to resist a fight against the dark menace in their minds. The Syndicate hadn't gotten any less cruel and manipulative in the year that she had been away.

"It doesn't matter how many you get on your side Terra. You're not going to win." Beast King shouted.

"It's not a matter of how many, Beast **Boy**. It's a matter of who… Dischord," Terra turned her head to her companion. "Why don't you show the Titans who sows the wind?"

Dischord took one step forward and waved a slender hand and showed the Titans her wonders.

The blast of wind energy caught them all by surprise. The airborne Titans were disoriented, the wind catching and lifting them, twisting their bodies and throwing them backwards. The Titans on the ground were no better off. Tempest and Beast King lost their footing and were thrown backwards. Raven, Akane and Nightwing braced their feet, their boots sliding against the solid earth. Their arms shielded their faces, the wind pulling their hair and bodies back.

"Look at how quickly the numbers even out." Terra said.

Akane reacted, generating a barrier to protect them from the wind. Both sides of the barrier, the destructive side of Terra and Dischord, and the old-world Titans who had never seen Akane's power, froze at the amazing shimmering gold in Akane's energy. Tempest and Beast King moved forward with Bumble Bee and the Tameranians flying overhead. They came closer, but remained at a distance. They were mesmerized; they had seen a color like that exactly one time before.

The wind stopped. The maelstrom calmed as Terra's eyes darted across the shimmering color. The gold color shimmered against itself, making light where there was none.

_Lightshow… _A cruel smirk worked its way over Terra's face.

Her eyes darted to Dischord and back to Akane over Nightwing and finally landing on Raven. Her body shifted to a stance of confidence, one hand on her hip, the other dangling freely by the top of her leggings. Her voice spoke with much more than confidence.

"Your daughter may be strong… but so is mine."

The cave seemed to echo with Terra's words. Akane's barrier dropped and in a line she stood with Raven and Nightwing in confusion. Terra's unabashed expression turned their eyes to Dischord as the wind-fighter removed her cloak. They were the three standing close enough to see every detail of her, from her long hair, to the golden crown wrapped around her forehead to the color of her eyes.

Her eyes were where Nightwing stopped. There was an infinite detail to the girl's face, hair, garb and build, but Nightwing could not see them. Dischord's eyes locked on his and he was hypnotized.

Raven swallowed hard as she saw what Nightwing saw. Dischord's eyes were a brown she was familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if he was on the verge of tears.

"Terra… what have you done?" Raven whispered in horror.

Terra stood beside Dischord, her slightly more mature height allowed her face to be seen behind Dischord's shoulder. "Isn't my daughter beautiful? Strong and in control of her powers. Transients mature so much faster. But it isn't just that… her father's abilities didn't hurt. It took two tries before we got it right… turns out replicas don't have the same strength of energy as the originals."

"Terra…" Nightwing whispered, taking a step backwards in absolute horror.

And Terra smiled.

"Dischord, sweetheart, say hello to Daddy."

End of Part One

Adult Terra's image is posted.

Dischord's image is also posted.

The ugliness in humanity Beast King was thinking about was what you just learned.


	53. Dischord Nostra Part Two

Dischord Nostra

Part Two

ºShe wouldn't answer her, so all Raven could do was play the moment over in front of her purple eyes like some terrible movie constantly on repeat. It scared her more than any horror she had ever seen, and the girl had seen terrible things.

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**

And like before, when her terror was locked up, because she refused to let someone else see it, it crippled her. It was more than the collar locked around her neck, more than the consent pulse of Washu's energy that stung and struck at her in random, painful intervals. She couldn't calm the feeling in her chest.

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat**

Things were no longer such a blur in her head, Terra's constant verbal violence had told Raven a lot, mostly about the depth of Terra's **compassion.** Raven had never faced an enemy with such absolute recklessness… Terra was playing an entirely new game and Raven, for the moment, was some sort of abusable piece, just like Sakura, just like Robin…

Even though it was impossible, Raven hoped to believe that somehow she could make contact with Robin, with Sakura, with someone, with anyone to know something, anything about what had happened.

Raven knew that Robin shouldn't have been able to communicate telepathically with her just because she had been in his mind... she hadn't implanted any such power and seeing as he wasn't born with any... it just shouldn't have happened. She simply chalked it up to the Boy Wonder constantly defying the impossibles of the world and showing what the strength of will could do.

She had seen Robin do an infinite amount of impossibles, but what she saw, whatever it was that happened to Robin, just felt like, in the pit of her stomach, something that made recovery seem beyond his wonder.

It hurt her heart to think of it, it took all her energy to stop crying. But she couldn't keep the fear from her voice. "Robin." She whispered. "Please be okay."

Terra rolled her eyes, crossing her arms again over her small chest. She had been sitting still for nearly two hours hearing Raven go between pitiful sobs and the maximum of her rage. It was fun to watch that despair toss her around, but the last twenty minutes had been the same show, there had to be something more entertaining.

Terra found that she liked Raven's anger more than her sadness, though her helplessness gave her a satisfaction that could not be measured.

"Your loving worry really makes me sick."

"Kill yourself." Raven spat out, doing her best not to bite her tongue. She tried to remain calm, but Terra could bring out the absolute worst in her. Sometimes her heart was too heavy to control her thoughts, let alone her tongue.

"Get over yourself." Terra replied. Terra flickered a strand of hair behind her ear. "I bet you didn't mean a quarter to Robin what he means to you… if he means anything. I recall someone between us saying that her emotions were **_too dangerous_** to be indulged in… but there you were, so lovely-dovey like two love birds."

"You're an idiot."

"And you're deluding yourself. You could make kissy faces and hold hands all you want to, but it doesn't change the fact that you can't feel like real people and if someone could feel for you, it wouldn't be Boy Blunder. When did Robin notice you, anyway? When your hair grew long like Starfire's? When you batted your eyes and colored your lips just like she did? Or was it when Slade pursued you: when you were something Slade hunted for… I wonder if Robin ever cared about you… or just the idea of you. Slade plus Starfire equals all that matters to Robin. I bet that when you trembled under his kiss, when his hands squeezed your arms… he didn't see you for a minute. How could he stand the sight of a monster?"

Terra could drop venom with the best of them. But Raven **was** the best of them.

"Isn't that a question to be saved for Beast Boy?"

Terra raised a hand to strike her. Raven didn't look intimidated. Terra dropped her arm but Raven kept that insolent look. Terra took two shuddering breaths, clenching and flexing her fingers, the sound of joints popping occurred in two successive waves.

"You know Raven, I never told you this when we were Titans---"

"You were never a Titan!" Raven screamed.

"Details, details. But regardless of semantics, I did live amongst you idiots; I noticed something about you and its high time someone called you on it."

"Keep your treacherous accusations to yourself."

"You're in no position to tell me what to do. I'm going to talk and you're going to listen because no matter what you'd like to think, I'm in control here."

"You don't control anything, you never have and you never will." Raven replied. Her purple eyes followed Terra's movement as the narrow hipped villainess moved to the other side of her. Raven didn't turn her head, but kept her in her sights. Terra wasn't above blindsiding. She had seen all the dirty tricks Terra was willing to pull.¹

"You make the same mistakes every time Raven. Every single time. You think you know, but you never know. You don't know me. And as long as you think you do you sink deeper and deeper into your deluded little world where you think you're the good guy and everything is going to work in your favor. You're not good, you're evil and you aren't the high and mighty Raven that you want everyone to think you are. You make mistakes and they all caught up with you didn't they? Your perfect image crashed into the real world and you saw the truth… The reality of it is going to eat you alive."

"I won't be destroyed by my own mistakes." Raven bit back.

Terra shifted her hips. "Right, you'll be destroyed by me."

Raven shook her head in the negative. "You're one of my mistakes."º

…

Nightwing couldn't find the strength in his body to move a muscle. If the world were to implode beneath his feet at that very moment, he would have been lost in a measureless void. His masked eyes were wide in horror, taking in every trace of Dischord… his daughter…

Her face carried traces of Nightwing's birthright. There was a subtle slant to her eyes, to match the color that she had inherited from him. Her chin and mouth were his, but the rest was distinctly Terra's influence. The shape of her brow, the roundness in her cheeks, her wiry frame. Her hair was so blonde it was white.

That hair moved as Dischord's body shifted, waving her slender hand and hurling the wind. The gust attack struck in great gales, twisting and furrowing to become a spiraling tornado. The force of the wind, added to their horror and stupor, allowed the current to charge against their bodies and hurl them into the air. Nightwing let out a surprised yell as the land became distant from his feet. Raven and Akane were twisted before using their gift of flight to reorient their bodies. Starfire caught Nightwing, securing him at a distance away from Raven and her daughter, but all of their eyes: Raven, Akane, Nightwing, Starfire, Beast King, Jinx, Cyborg, Blackfire, D'ucel, Tempest and Bumble Bee, they all stared at the two women before them. The wind cooled and Terra's smirk iced.

"Are you surprised, Nightwing? Are you horrified, Raven? Has the perfect little life you were hoping for become ripped to shreds by my little addition? Don't worry about it. Dischord is **my** daughter and you don't need to be concerned with her… except to the extent that she's going to help me destroy every last one of you… starting with Akane… well, after Trigon's done with her… But then again, by the time Trigon finishes, Dischord will be much too busy to help me play."

Raven's sneer ran through every vein in her body, every muscle, ever echo of her heart beat. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be what she was seeing. What she was hearing… it couldn't be. She couldn't let this be.

"You idiot!" Raven's dark power shot from her finger tips and it took every ounce of control not to lose herself in the disgust that bubbled in her stomach. She didn't know; there was no way she could have known, that the depth of Terra's sickness and cruelty could be this low. She made a daughter, something so precious as a child, and made it into a weapon. She made Dischord to undue the beautiful thing Raven had done in Akane and the only thing that could make it worse was that she had used Nightwing to do it.

That worry she had felt, for those months when she was trapped in Washu's den, it had been over his life, but she feared the wrong thing: the soul-shaving hadn't damaged his life… it would damage his heart. From those eyes to the shape of her mouth, to the slant of her face, those were his features, there was no lie there. Dischord was the product of Nightwing's energy and Terra's virgin body, and like all Transients, the girl was powerful and like all Transients Raven knew, she was created to serve Trigon's will.

"What did Trigon promise you to take away the last of your humanity? Whatever it is, you won't get it!" Raven yelled.

Terra rolled her eyes and Dischord furrowed the wind to block Raven's shot. "Why should I believe anything you say when it's obvious you never know what you're talking about? Trigon will keep Dischord beside him as the queen to the scourge of the universe."

Nightwing let Starfire set him on the ground. The brave Tameranian kept her place behind him, he looked at the moment as a stiff wind would knock him over… and from what they had seen, that was what they were up against. Starfire had seen Dischord's face, saw it as clearly as the rest of them, she had often pondered the eyes of her best friend, and now she knew. The beautiful Dischord had them, that was how Nightwing had known, it was how Raven had known and now they all knew. But what they couldn't see in Dischord was the pure heart they knew in their leader. They all knew it **had** to be in there, they just didn't know how to get to it.

Beast King morphed to his human form and stared side by side with Bumble Bee who fluttered a few feet off the ground. "Dude, if that's Nightwing's daughter, how do we fight her now?"

Bumble Bee shook her head. "We don't." Bumble Bee pointed past Terra and Dischord's shoulders. "We fight them."

The flame warriors seeped from the ground, rising in waves of dozens upon dozens. Their distribution surrounded them in a nearly perfect ellipse with the Titans, Dischord and Terra Nostra in the center giving the pupil in the eye of the upcoming battle.

"Still think Trigon won't come through?"

It was Akane who moved, dashing forward. Both Terra and Dischord moved to block her path, but both of them defended the wrong target. Dischord barely grunted when Akane tackled her and when Terra turned her head in shock, Raven came forward and matched the shot. Akane knocked Dischord to the ground, quickly pinning her. Dischord didn't seem to struggle and gave Akane a clear study of her face. The thin, gold crown that wrapped around her forehead couldn't take away from the highlight of gold in her brown eyes. Akane's own gold power seemed a shimmering copy of the color she found there, she had felt it the moment her eyes met Dischord's, her power had reacted in her body; there was a connection there, but she didn't know what.

Dischord's legs caught Akane by surprise, the aeromorph rocked her hips to swing her ankles to wrap around Akane's chest. The tight squeeze robbed Akane of her breath and Dischord wrenched back, pulling Akane off her stomach. The flip switched their positions with Akane's back against the ground, Akane reached a hand out to push at Dischord's chest.

"We should not be fighting, that we should not!" There was no reaction to her words in Dischord's eyes or her face. Akane frowned and shot a blast of her energy from the hand pressed into Dischord's chest, the same one baring the infinite mark of Trigon. The shot hurled the blond fighter some feet away. Akane got to her feet and Dischord retaliated with a wind gust. Akane shielded her face and when Dischord shot forward, the front kick connected with her stomach and knocked Akane to the floor. The purple eyed girl groaned but got to her feet.

_I must show her the error of her judgment, that I must… _Akane ducked and put up a barrier as Dischord's hands and feet hammered at her. _But first I must stop her…_

Raven's backhand made a sharp connection against Terra's jaw. "You're a fool to think Trigon keeps loyalty! Once Trigon is done with her, he'll destroy her! That's how he operates and Dischord will be no different!"

Terra rammed her shoulder into Raven's chest, off balancing both women and tripping them to the floor. Raven pinned Terra's arms to the ground beside her head. The glare of hatred was equally matched between the mystic and the geomorph. Terra's sneer took her entire face. "Only the weak are discarded! My daughter is too strong to ever be beaten by Trigon or anyone else. And anyone who tries to hurt her will answer to me!" Terra's eyes took their yellow glow and two columns erupted under her arms and crossed over her chest becoming one pillar that smashed into Raven's breast throwing her off of Terra.

The soldiers stayed out of the path of the Transient Daughters and their mothers, moving around them to the Titans to lock battle with them. Energy beams were thrown forward and friends were rescued. Starfire could see that even though Nightwing fought the warriors that challenged him, his eyes were locked on a battle far away from his body, but incredibly close to his heart. The team's eye was often drawn to the separate battle between those tied closely to the end of the world: two who were trying to stop it and one who's crippling, self-serving insanity was trying to accelerate it. It had taken all of Starfire's good will not to give up on Terra, but she had seen years ago that it was much too late for her… She had created things that could not be undone, she had hurt, abused and plotted the destruction of everything that mattered to Starfire… and with the creation of Dischord, Terra had created something that could destroy again… they all knew, in the exact same moment, when Nightwing had whispered Dischord's name, that this wasn't the same kind of fight they had with Terra those years ago. This was a fight with all of their hearts and minds.

A flame solider caught Starfire, wrapping its extending limb around her middle. A roar erupted under her and she could see Beast King's most powerful identity rescue her by slashing the solider in one shot. The green eyed Tameranian saw the way Beast King's chest expanded and retracted and she knew it had nothing to do with the exhaustion of battle. She knew that somehow in all the years where Beast King felt regret, he hadn't forgotten pity and through that small avenue of his good heart, Terra still mattered to him. She did not know, if when this battle ended, no matter what the outcome, if that small part of him, that could hold love in some degree, would die or flourish.

A Fox shot smashed into a warrior not inches from Starfire's back and the trained fighter turned around in surprise. Foxfire's eyes were alight in blue and with a quick nod he returned to battle. Starfire's eyes regained their light and she concentrated on the battle.

Cyborg's body was thrown into Tempest, leveling both fighters leaving Jinx to clear out the mess. Her purple shots crashed through the fighters, but more came to replace them and even more came after that. Jinx jumped and pivoted, her body acting in fluid art to cut and dash through her opponents to get closer to the important battle that was waging not feet away, but the warriors kept coming.

Jinx had seen it, when she had managed to get close enough, she had seen it and she was angry. Washu had acted again, moved his powers into play to create a resistance that Jinx couldn't fight. She didn't know how much of this was this girl's, this Terra's, creation, but she knew in part that this plot was Washu's execution. Washu could do this for an infinite amount of years if something didn't stop him, if **she** didn't stop him… and there was only one way to show Washu that he had been mistaken to create the beginnings of dark armies through Raven, Schala, Terra and Dischord… she had to destroy one of them and given the importance of Raven and Schala and the expendability of Terra, she had to destroy the second Transient girl.

Raven caught Terra's boot, grabbing the thin limb and pulling forward before sweeping Terra's other leg from under her. Terra dropped to the earth like a sack of bricks, her eyes wide open as Raven's hammering heel descended to smash into her chest. She crossed her arms over her chest to absorb the blow. Raven's eyes were white, Terra's a blazing yellow and their teeth were bared in their struggle. Terra pushed Raven's leg away and pushed herself to her feet. She found herself back on the ground as Raven executed an Aiki Nage², wrenching Terra's arm behind her back and unbalancing her, leaving her open to grapple, Raven's hand palming her chin and throwing Terra backward, until she slammed into the ground.

"You've made an unforgivable mistake."

"You're not righteous and you're not better than me!" Terra's blue eyes danced with amusement. "And it looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Raven turned her head to look and saw Akane. Terra capitalized and sweep kicked her, taking her legs from under her.

The wind came swiftly, striking Akane and off balancing her. Dischord dashed forward, her elbow rebounding off of Akane's barrier. The gold influence came again as Dischord's energy reflected from hers and again Akane's eyes were drawn from the gold in the aeromorph's eyes to the gold around her forehead. In their fight, when their bodies clashed against each other, and even before that when Dischord's truths were revealed, the second Transient daughter had shown no emotion: not hatred, not regret, not amusement, not even disregard… No person was born so lifeless. Akane had to believe, no matter the circumstances of her birth, Dischord was a person and all persons felt emotions… unless they were taken away.

_She is not in control of herself. _Dischord delivered a crippling side arm chop to Akane's midsection. The black haired girl stumbled back and ducked under a high toe kick. Akane did not want to hurt her, but until she could see and defeat what was in control of her, she would have no choice but to fight back. Her gold energy charged around her balled fist.

"Forgive me."

The force of the blast hurled Dischord thirty feet away where she slammed into the ground, stunned if not unconscious. Akane stood up and looked to the blond girl and saw that she was moving, perhaps making an attempt to pull herself to her feet. Akane's study of the blond fighter was interrupted when a whirling side arm was aimed at her head by another blonde fighter. Akane ducked under Terra's attack. She could see the rage in those yellow haloed eyes. She tumbled smoothly out of the way of Terra's kick. Before Terra could attack again, Akane pushed out a barrier, but the blow she was defending against didn't come. From behind Terra's back a black flash of energy shot forward and wrapped around the blonde menace.

Akane saw too late that Dischord had gotten to her feet and was dashing forward to take Raven out. Her eyes widened in shock as the aeromorph was tackled from the side, keeping her from striking down Raven as Terra struggled to break free.

Nightwing had moved, had seen Dischord come to aid Terra and through instinct he moved forward to stop it. He caught Dischord around her waist; his momentum should have brought her to the ground, but she had battle senses that were keen and with a quick twist of her body, it was Nightwing who absorbed the blow when they hit the floor. The surprise of the impact gave Dischord the momentum to plant her feet in Nightwing's chest and rebound, turning a front flip and landing on her feet. As Nightwing got to his feet, Dischord stared through him. It was haunting to see his eyes in her face.

Dischord dashed forward, pushing the wind in her movements, capitalizing on Nightwing's lack of guard. Her hands lashed out in sharp succession, Nightwing's dodges and parries made every attack a miss. He caught her right hand when it struck out to paralyze his throat, his masked eyes wide as he realized her fighting style was a dangerous bone akido, a style that could easily disassemble an opponent if the wielder was careless or efficient.

_How could this have happened? This isn't right! She shouldn't have ever learned this! We shouldn't be fighting!_

"Dischord!" He yelled, catching her other hand by the wrist. The blond opponent struggled in his grasp, still showing no emotion, not even frustration. "Dischord! Please stop!" But she didn't listen. He couldn't tell if she could even hear him. Not a single word had escaped her, not so much as a gasp or a groan. He looked in her eyes, hoping to see something, some emotion that her face wasn't betraying. Those brown eyes were sharp, they were his and they showed nothing.

_There's no recognition… but why would there be? Whoever made her… they kept her from me and now that she sees me… It means nothing… She's running on programming… Slade, Washu, Terra… they did this to her, they took away everything before I could stop it. No, I won't let this happen again! _

"Dischord! You have to fight it! Whatever control they have on you, you have to resist!"

Dischord continued to twist and bend to find a weakness in Nightwing's hold.

_She can't hear me… she's running on automatic._

Dischord raised both her boots and planted them into Nightwing's chest, somersaulting backwards as Nightwing was thrown to the floor. His masked eyes followed her as she back flipped away from him to return to Terra's side, throwing a tornado to keep Raven at bay. Akane dropped down beside Nightwing and helped him to stand. Both of their eyes focused on Terra._ No,_ he realized, _the controls were just somewhere else…_

Jinx slid in, engaging Terra, catching the blonde Transient mother off guard. Terra staggered back but countered with a flying boulder that smashed into the pink haired woman's chest.

Terra looked over Dischord's shoulder to see Raven put up a barrier and attempt to block the wind. Terra smirked as she watched Raven make the same mistake she had made when she fought Terra those years ago. The impartial barrier only protected her front. So when Terra sunk through the earth and rose behind her, she could do nothing to stop the sharp drop kick from connecting with her upper back.

The wind stopped as Nightwing and Akane in the same moment turned to attack Terra. The spin kick from Akane was to take out her feet, Nightwing's jump spin was targeted for her head. A neat back flip cleared her out of harm's way. Terra lifted a mass of the land and threw it at her attackers. Nightwing's widened as Akane jumped in front of him.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex!" The shimmering gold light wrapped around the boulder. Akane's black hair waved as she spun her body to throw the stone right back at Terra.

The geomorph laughed out loud and raised a hand to stop the charge. Akane groaned as she tried to overcome Terra's control. Terra tsked sharply. "Girl, you don't know who you're messing with." Her eyes became alight and she exercised her will of the land. "Laaa!" Akane fell backwards as her energy was cast off by Terra's.

The sound of it whizzed through the air too fast for anyone to turn around and see it before it made its mark. The bolt crashed into the boulder, splintering it. The yellow disappeared from Terra's eyes as she watched the strike explode the earth formation. She turned to see where the shot came from, but instead she saw two blue sonic shots come and in her surprise one blow struck her and knocked her to the ground. The other sailed over her head and caught Dischord, throwing her several feet back.

Both Nightwing and Akane moved, dashing over to the fallen Dischord. Nightwing knelt on her right side, Akane on her left, both hoping the girl wasn't hurt. She wasn't. A wind tunnel struck them both, hurling them behind her head as Dischord leapt to her feet and dashed to the side of Terra.

Terra stared up with Dischord standing ready to fight. The shot had burned, she hadn't seen it coming. She got to her elbows, shaking the cobwebs from her head before she looked to where Dischord was looking, to where the attack had come from.

"I think it's you who doesn't know what she's up against."

Nightwing knew that voice, Akane didn't, but they both turned their heads to see him standing there. Shoulder's square, legs spread apart, fingers trained to release another bolt, there he was standing side by side with the Firefly wielding Celine: Arsenal, the agile archer.

He strung another bolt and Celine charged another shot. Terra got to her feet and dusted herself off as if her chest weren't on fire. "Look what the cat dragged in. I was hoping you'd show up Speedy. Finally I get something to look at." Arsenal tightened his grip on his bow, his bolt strung tight and furious. Terra's smile was wicked and her eyes were full of venom when she took in the sight of Celine. She pouted. "Is that you Celine? I barely recognized you. Isn't it a shame? Your beauty got harmed… so sorry." Celine's finger smoothed along the trigger of her version two Firefly. The scar on her face made her want to pull, but the brain in her head made her wait. "So, that's how I touched your life?" Terra continued. "At least with your looks gone, you can fall back on your smarts… but then again, for the world's smartest woman you sure are…"

"Yamero!"

And the rest of the world seemed to stop. Nightwing's eyes widened, everyone's eyes widened as they watched it. The shot cut through the air, fanning out in a wave of silver-white energy. Terra's eyes opened wide as the blast cut cross the ground and smashed into Dischord. Terra's turned her head as her daughter smashed into a rock swell, her body rebounding with an audible thud. Unlike before, she didn't get up immediately.

"Choris!" Terra screamed in freight. But before she could run to check on the girl another assault came and this one was aimed for her. It hammered through the air, slicing across is like a razor across a wire. Everything seemed to stop in that moment, every open eye watched it. The blow struck head on, the massive weapon spun and tore down the geomorph before it took its return path, back to the hand that had thrown it.

And Nightwing saw it, turned to see it first before anyone else could get over the surprise. But Nightwing was surprised, as surprised as any of them.

One sharp flick of her wrist and an expert throw hurled her boomerang through the air at lightning fast speed. It turned and pivoted, flying at the enemy with deadly accuracy. The huge weapon returned to that expert hand, the excess energy wrenching the arm back, the weapon releasing an echo clap as it smashed into the ground.

In a line they stood and all the others turned their eyes to watch, forgetting their immediate battles, forgetting everything they had seen. Her eyes were open, brown and fierce as her fingers wrapped around her hiraikotsu. She stood between Arsenal and Celine, all three of their weapons ready, all three of them ready to fight.

"Sakura!" Nightwing yelled.

"Dear Brother, daijoubu?"³ Sakura asked, keeping her eye trained on Terra as the villainess struggled to pull herself up.

Nightwing nodded. "You're… you're…"

"I'm going to get my revenge." Sakura replied, her thin eyebrow ticking as Terra finally got to her elbows.

Terra's breath was a sharp hiss as she finally managed to see over her stomach. There she was, after five years, there she was. The enemy that was second highest on her list, the enemy that should have been dealt with then. _Washu owes me two favors._ Terra reached behind her back, pulling free her black comm.-link.

"Slade. A complication has arisen." She choked out.

The voice of the cycloptic menace came over the intercom loud and clear. "Handle it. Just bring back the girl… preferably undamaged. But if things need to get messy… don't concern yourself with the presentation."

Terra snipped off the communicator. "Got it." She got up smoothly, her hand wrapping around her middle as she became increasingly aware of the numbers game. Her eyes wandered past everything else behind her, Akane had moved to check on the de-habilitated Dischord. Terra would have to deal with her later. The sting in Sakura's eyes told her she had a fight **now**.

"Sakura. Can't you stay broken?" She took a step forward, only she was surprised that she wobbled just a little.

Sakura's grip flexed and tightened around the handle of her weapon. "You and I have unfinished business." Sakura ground out between her teeth.

"I'm not in the business of dealing with lowlifes that can't stay in their miserable place." Terra bit back.

Sakura shook her head in disagreement. "I beg to differ."

Terra's eyes became a light with her fury. "You will beg."

End of Part Two

A/N

¹Apparentely, no she hadn't.

²Asuka Kazama's Aiki Nage, a lot cooler than I made it sound.

³Diajoubu means "Are you okay."

Oh, it's on now.


	54. Dischord Nostra Part Three

Dischord Nostra

Part Three

ºHis fingers still burned despite the kiss placed on them gently by a doting, strong and tender girlfriend. The mature warrior moved to finish righting the charred remains of Starfire's desk. He had always thought that this room was the most vibrant; not just because of the gentle purple and pink colors, or the delicate sounds the fabrics made when the window was open and the breeze flowed through, or even the scent, that unmistakable scent, that he inhaled like the oxygen he desperately needed to breathe. It was the sight that went on in that room, the vibrant color that lived in the eyes of the woman who slept there, thought there, dreamt there.

Aqualad tried not to let his eyes wander to her, but they did and he looked at her as she tried to make some sort of order of operations: turn bookshelf back over, finish sweeping the glass, separate what was salvageable… keep busy… try not to think… and for his beautiful Blackfire, it seemed to work.

Aqualad was finding it hard to concentrate, just like everyone else. They had returned to the tower less than three days ago and in some places the wreckage was still smoldering. The team was in varying states of disabled: some were physically, some mentally, but all of them were emotionally crippled by what had happened, by what had begun. Aqualad was doing his best to be strong for as many of them as he could, but he found sometimes he could barely hold himself up. And the others weren't fairing much better.

Starfire and Cyborg hadn't left the medic room in those almost three days and Speedy spent enough time there, walking in and checking, that he might have sat there and waited with the Tameranian princess and the half-machine fighter. The Titan archer wasn't getting much done, his hands were scratched up and he was close to being beside himself with worry.

D'ucel was suffering from the sadness running through the tower, but he and Bumble Bee were able to deal with their injuries and keep moving, just like he and Blackfire were. Aqualad swallowed shallowly and allowed his eyes to fall on the beautiful woman working through the wreckage of her bedroom. Blackfire had been the first to move and clear the tragedy from their immediate attention, though it would take much longer than almost three days to erase the damage from their nightmares.

It wasn't the time to be romantic, but Aqualad swore he could watch his lovely Blackfire move for the rest of his life. The way her hair fell down her back, how her toes pointed as she stepped, the way her face could hold a frown that looked more like the beginnings of a smile rather than the end point of a sour pout. The natural slant of her wonderful blue eyes were lower than usual in her sad sort of concentration, and as much as he wanted to be able to tear away all the things that made her sad, that sadness was something that was apart of Komand'r til Tameran Sixth, and her ability to forge through all the pain she had known made her something of a light, some sort of entity just shy of angel in his eyes, something just short of an angel in his arms… she was someone he could hold and console and be delicate with and at the same time know that he could lean on her when he swore he was about to break.

"Yardarg."

"Time." Aqualad translated immediately, falling into their game so readily that he hadn't even noticed what had started. She had been teaching him Tameranian for some time. Since she regained her memory she had been piecing him into the language of her birth. It had started that night on Tameran when she watched the Bructhorg, holding his injured hand, from the edge of his medical bed. The first word he had ever learned was "Grunh'vul", which meant promise and his first sensical sentence was "Vord yark yaod purom hatc." It had been difficult to say but meant the worlds to Blackfire when he finally pushed them out. "The hope lies in tomorrow never yesterday."

Aqualad turned to look at Blackfire as she sobbed quietly, her hands moving to gather the largest fraction of a destroyed snow globe. The strong woman warrior sank to her knees, one hand covering her mouth as the other kept its fingers just far enough from the shattered edge to avoid being cut. Aqualad frowned deeply, before leaving his task and kneeling down beside Blackfire as the weight of everything she was trying to fight off finally took hold of her heart.

Her arms were shaking in rhythm with her tears, the blue eyed girl wasn't meant for such desperation, she had cried enough in her childhood to satisfy a lifetime, but it seemed that she was a sufferer in this life. Aqualad had to do his part to mend that rip in her fragile heart.

Once, when Blackfire had no recollection of who she was and why she was, Aqualad had told her the most famous legend in all of Atlantis. The lesson was a simple one, as simple as there was a story to tell. All there was to be known in the world was the promise of the unknown. The only true testament to the possibility of happiness was what came new every single day. The past held uncertainty, the past held pain, the past held fear and the past held a part of the heart, but the future held hope: the most powerful of all forces, more powerful than love even, because hope was the potential for love, for happiness, for every single beautiful thing there was to have.

When he had first whispered "Vord yark yaod purom hatc", it had sounded as poetic as a car horn, but it had made her cry and made her smile and a smile was something she desperately needed.

"Vord yark yaod purom hatc." Aqualad whispered, finding her hands with his and wrapping around them; taking on the bowl shape hers had. Her fingers weren't trembling like her arms were, she was trying so hard not to bring more damage with her movements; her alien strength could easily ruin what was left of his gift to her.

"Vor'mhal"

Aqualad shook his head in the negative. He didn't know the word. She seemed to think, as if she didn't want to tell him what the word meant. Blackfire had never been hesitant with him, not as far as her educating him on her, she had been reserved and anxious and thrown to tears when her memories came back, but that night on Tameran she had did her best to tell him all her truths and one of the things she promised to do was never to hide again. But she was close now to doing that thing she promised never to do and Aqualad wouldn't blame her. Instead he sat behind her and ran his thumb over the top of hers and waited.

"Repair." She said finally as if she realized he wasn't going to figure it out on his own and he wasn't going to move until he understood. But he still didn't move to let her go, instead he held her tighter.

"Vor'mhal. Repair." Aqualad repeated.

"Use it in a sentence."

"Toward---" Blackfire reached up and pinched his cheeks together. "Toard" She corrected. Aqualad nodded. "Toard brot h'urd grot vor'mhal ignod."

Blackfire half smiled, half frowned and kissed Aqualad's cheek. His thumb ran over hers. "We will," Blackfire replied. "We will repair our hearts and minds…"º

…

Red was his color, whether it was bright and flamboyant or smooth, dark leather. It was distinct, it was his signature color and she thought it was so cool. But her eyes weren't trained on Arsenal; she could only see him from her peripheral vision. His fingers were tightening and relaxing in a quick cycle, adjusting his grip to minimize the slippage resulting from his sweat, the movement of his fingers drew the friction that he relied on to exercise his talent.

On the other side of her vision the second female redhead of Titans' Tower kept her scouter locked forward, the sight was sharp and the hold was steady. Celine was looking forward, her stance keeping her feet spread apart to balance the weight of her massive weapon. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth; it was a nasty habit because it contradicted the fierce glare that spun in her dark brown eyes.

The other set of dark brown eyes, the ones that belonged to the other woman in their line of late arrivers, her eyes were staring straight ahead and nothing in her mouth, brow or sweat gave away anything but the cruel intention that was flooding through her blood.

Terra's eyes were shifting from eye to eye, not turning her head and angered that she could see almost all the Titans, but Akane and her daughter were out of sight. The warrior waves seemed to have stopped, the Titans had stopped, everything had stopped except the treacherous beat of her heart. It made her palms sweat, it made her throat dry and if not for the boundless self-certainty she possessed in her superiority, she might have been afraid. But her body didn't match the sentiment of her mind. Numbers had never been in her favor, but she had done just fine with what she had.

Terra was on the balls of her feet, the heels of her boots tapping the cave floor. Celine had her Firefly trained in the center of her eye, Arsenal's bolt ready to dash at her move and Sakura had a glare that rivaled Raven's best. _Raven can't beat me… Sakura, you should have stayed sleeping, you haven't got a chance…_

"I admire your stupidity, I really do Sakura. To stay alive for a few days longer, all you had to do was stay away… but instead you rushed forward to your demise… is that the business you had in mind? Because I have something planned too. It starts with R and ends with destruction."

"R-destruction?"¹ Sakura raised her eye brow. Arsenal checked his grip and Celine steadied her feet.

Terra smirked. "Exactly." The earth trembled under their feet as the feral yellow took masked the natural sinister blue of the geomancer's eyes. Akane's eyes widened, her fingers gripping the slack figure of Dischord Nostra as the earth around her rumbled. Her gold power had been seeping into the mind stripped aeromorph. With the touch of the girl, skin to skin contact with the other tragic Transient, it hadn't taken Akane long to figure out what was happening, but finding out how to stop is was much more difficult.

Nightwing tumbled backwards, his waist pivoted in a way that most couldn't make their body turn. His toes were pointed, his hips snapped firmly with each tumble, moving to the side as a chasm was ripped around Terra Nostra, Dischord and Akane. He landed in a forced spider crouch, his fingers seeping into the destructive element at Terra's command.

Jinx tumbled similarly, her front somersault catapulted her over a rising spike of the earth and onto an uneven platform that was strong enough to hold her weight, but not much more and probably not much longer. Her cat eyes scanned; there was something more going on, something more than this Terra exercising her will over the land. Something was coming, something dark and something with a distinct intention: to destroy.

"Ahh!" At once their eyes were drawn to the same place as a short cry was torn from Akane as Dischord up kicked and knocked the half-demon girl to the floor. Akane fell to her side and watched Dischord leap forward as a chasm ripped between the land separating Akane and Terra Nostra. Over the rumble of the world Akane could see that Dischord did not have the gift of flight, instead she used a funnel of wind to move her away from Akane and back to Terra. Her eyes would be locked on Dischord only until Terra Nostra gave her something else to see.

The Titans who could fly did, those that couldn't waited. Akane had been trained to encounter dark energies, but Dischord's power wasn't dark. The wind at Dischord's command tunneled into a tornado with the intention to bare down on Akane at its focus. Akane's purple eyes stretched wide as the aero tip of the whirlwind sharpened and thrust at her, by natural instinct her fearful eyes snapped closed. The air didn't rush out of her, the blow didn't connect. Akane opened her eyes to find herself caught in the protective cradle of Nightwing's arms. The earth beneath them rumbled and in his arms, Akane could see that the geomancer's dance was far from over. Akane raised her hand swiftly and generated a barrier to protect herself and Nightwing from the stone hand that hammered downwards.

"Ike!"

Time hadn't calmed her skill. Her shoulder shifted, her body still remembered how to adjust for the weight. Her wrist tossed to the fore, the distinct flex snapped the hiraikotsu forward, the destructive weapon hammered a new song, revenge a sharp chord to be struck on the wind…

Except the wind refused to obey. A pulse of wind rocketed the giant boomerang off course. Sakura frowned, turning her eyes just enough to watch where the weapon went, seeing the pretty redheaded Tameranian princess chase after it; while keeping her attention firmly on the geomorph that she was personally going to eliminate. Her fist tightened, beside her Celine dug her heel into the ground and unleashed another round of sonic shots.

"Laa!" The flurry of boulders dashed and pivoted around the light blue sonic energy. Some were skimmed but they all moved to crash into the three-piece that had interrupted their master's game. Arsenal let loose with his might. His sharp arrows crashed into the boulders that Celine's shots couldn't stop. Terra sneered. Arsenal strung another bolt and Sakura's hands took on a distinctly powerful glow, the Holy energy intense in contrast to the darkness slowly pooling in the battle field.

Her speed was good, but fluid motion wasn't the same as expertise. She ran forward, gaining momentum before launching a dive kick to take out Terra's legs. Her skin against the earth was just too fast to generate a burn before the blow lashed out. Terra leapfrogged perfectly vertical over Sakura's sweep. She landed and turned just in time to watch Sakura cut her forward momentum by spinning on her forearm. Her bent limb created the friction to pivot her hips and get back to her feet. Terra turned fiercely, her leg jutting out in a spin. Sakura blocked raising a shield with her right arm, the left dropping back and shooting forward with a blast of Holy that threw Terra across the battle field. Before Sakura could think to stalk forward and continue her attack, a column of wind struck her from the side and hurled her easily forty feet away. Her body slammed into Raven's. Immediately the women up kicked to their feet. Raven threw her hands down and erected a barrier to stop the further onslaught of mastered wind.

Dischord landed in the same place she had knocked Sakura from, her eyes turned to the two women pulling themselves up. Her face would turn back to where Terra had landed, but instead of seeing and rescuing her mother, she danced between golden arrows unleashed in rapid succession. A knockout arrow connected and knocked the aeromorph to her backside.

"Hiya!" Nightwing turned smoothly, his outlashing bo-staff hammered into a flame solider. His masked eyes pivoted with his body movement and watched Arsenal draw another bow to strike Dischord. He gasped and with instinct he didn't know he had, he drew an exploding disk and hurled it to land a few feet in front of Arsenal. The smoke kicked up, the agile archer leapt backwards, his masked eyes turning to Nightwing with shock.

"What are you doing?" Arsenal asked.

"Don't hurt her!" Nightwing yelled.

Arsenal's brow ticked, but his confusion was replaced with surprise when on his left and right, and at Nightwing's left and right, a earth golem rose from the earth. With a similar uppercut, Arsenal and Nightwing were hurled into the air, their bodies striking each others before tumbling toward the ground. Bumble Bee swooped in and used all her strength to keep the pair from smashing head first into the cave floor. Terra's eyes remained a light in devious yellow, her hands clenched in tight fists as her golems chased Tempest and Celine. Foxfire's eye beams crashed against them and erupted two before a blizzard of blackbolts struck out at Terra, knocking her to the ground.

Tempest froze at Celine's command and a sonic shot whizzed over his head and crumbled the body of the golem. The rest began to crumble as well, from pink waves to golden energy pulling them apart. Beast King intercepted an attack aimed at Raven's back, his stampeding ram smashed through the flame solider. The quick witted morph reverted to his human form and checked on Raven. Over her shoulder he could see Dischord moving.

The aeromorph stalked forward after landing a pair of pointed high kicks, one catching and repelling Cyborg and the other blocked by Jinx. The pink haired half demoness let out a short battle cry as she unleashed her echo shots. The pink bars of energy cut through the ground and kicked up dust. The golden band around Dischord's forehead glimmered through the filth and shined when a controlled wisp of wind cleared the aeromorph's sight… to see Jinx diving in. Jinx's claws sunk into the earth as Dischord jumped back and avoided the strike. The black clad daughter of Doomgaze looked up in time to see Dischord approach, but could do nothing about it. Dischord somersaulted forward, her outstretched hands landing on Jinx's shoulders, grabbing the material of her cowl. With a wrench of her upper body, Dischord finished her somersault; her momentum carried her arms forward in an over head throw, sending Jinx to slam into the ground twenty feet away.

A shot of Holy skimmed Dischord just barely, the aeromorph took to the air with the wind beneath her. Sakura stared up at her and braced her feet when the blond fighter made a rapid descent. Dischord's hands reached out fiercely, and Sakura's pushed forward to meet. Their fingers locked, Dischord's momentum pushing them backwards until their weight tipped and Sakura fell to her back. Sakura pistoned her hips sharply so her body rolled rather than land with a solid thud. The roll reversed their positions, the half-Japanese fighter straddled Dischord's stomach as their hands fought for dominance.

Arsenal rolled in time to avoid the swipe of a flame monster, his arrows dashing out to smash through warrior bodies that stalked his team. His head turned sharply when he heard Sakura gasp.

Sakura didn't understand what she was seeing, but it was obvious before she could put words to it. Those eyes, the eyes that stared up at her from an enemy with no emotion in her face, those eyes were the eyes of her mother, of her brother. Underneath the shine of a thin crown, she saw Dear Brother's brown eyes as clearly as if she were looking at her younger sibling. And she saw, too, the crown, that thin slip of metal was exactly the same as she remembered it five years ago when she had tried to rescue Tetris.

_She's being controlled._ Sakura risked moving a hand from Dischord's grasp and shrouded the free digits in Holy. Her fingers fanned out and grabbed. Her digits slid between Dischord's flat forehead and the thin spiral of her band crown.

The reaction was explosive, literally. The second her fingers came in contract with Dischord's garb, the Holy power surged and escaped. The backlash took Sakura by surprise and hurled her body ten feet away. Her back throbbed with the impact. She groaned and rolled her neck, taking her eyes back to Dischord…

Who was totally unaffected. The aeromorph back rolled smoothly, getting to her feet and a fighting stance of her bone akido style. Sakura got to her feet as well.

"Sakura! Catch!" Starfire's voice trailed to inaudible as the alien powerhouse hurled the hiraikotsu back to its rightful owner. Sakura pivoted; her hand shot out and grabbed the handle. The excess energy behind Starfire's throw made Sakura twist in a full circle before she gained control of the weapon's momentum. Her arm slung back, her shoulder crossed taunt, her fingers ready to release.

Washu beat her to it.

The flame demons dispersed immediately. Underneath the grip of his fingers Tempest watched his opponent crumble into nothing. He turned a surprised eye to his companions and their oppositions collapsed as well. Celine dropped her charged Firefly to her side, no longer needing to purge a shot to rescue Bumble Bee. Beast King turned beside her, his green eyes waving as he saw what was happening. The ground beneath them was expelling a dark grey energy; it was waving out of the cracks and faults of the floor like the treacherous slither of a snake. Beast King grabbed Celine and leapt them both to safety as the energy took form and coiled out to strike. Those that could fly did, grabbing onto any of their teammates who couldn't.

Terra turned a back flip before pulling a stone to ride to the side of Dischord. The geomorph watched, too, as the menacing grey energy wove out from beneath the earth. The black platform held Raven, Jinx, Akane, Sakura and Nightwing a few feet from Dischord's profile, staring down they could see the grey energy whirling behind her before collecting into a physical mass.

Starfire gripped Cyborg's arm fiercely as they witnessed the introduction of the two highest members of the Slade Syndicate. The four piece stood in a formation more sinister than they had seen in a long time. They hadn't changed in the year, but there was no way to tell with Slade and with Washu it didn't matter, time wasn't hindrance for his existence, but it was a hindrance for his plan.

"Terra, when you said a complication had arisen; you didn't say what a wonderful surprise it was… All the Titans together, I thought I'd never see the day." Slade said, his eye traveling from face to face.

Terra flicked a strand of hair from her face. "If I have my way, you never will again."

"Patience, patience dear child. There's plenty of time to play your game later."

Nightwing clenched his fight tightly. "We're at the endgame! And you're going down!" Nightwing made to leap from the platform, but Raven's hand stopped him. The masked fighter turned to the woman he loved, confusion and anger in his face. Raven could see past Nightwing's profile to Washu's devious glare. Her purple eyes closed slowly and Nightwing turned his head to follow her gaze.

"He took your energy before; staying back is the only thing that will stop him from doing it again." She had meant her voice to be a whisper, but her voice traveled to the waiting ears of the Syndicate. Raven tightened her jaw as they watched Washu's cruel mouth twist into a menacing leer.

"If I'm to be honest, another steal would satisfy me greatly. The energy of the Titans' leader is a remarkable toy: it allows for the creation of marvelous playthings." Washu's hand found Dischord's chin, but his eyes were trained on the Titans on Raven's platform. Akane was kneeling on her hands and knees, her eye flipping from Dischord's face to Nightwing's. She knew without being told that the Syndicate was in front of her: the society that was the opposition to the future of mankind was before her, she tried not to be afraid.

She had never seen color so dark, if it could be called color at all. The grey energy was still flooding the ground around them, the color the most vial where it spilled from Washu's body. She knitted her eyebrow. _I'll try to neutralize it, that I will._

"Get away from her!" Nightwing shouted. This time it was Sakura's hand that stopped him from leaping off.

"Dischord is a product of my creation. I am entitled to her more so than her… father." Nightwing's shoulder tensed under Sakura's hold. Something was burning in his skin; she could feel it through his uniform. What was dark in the Titans' history that she wasn't a part of was slowly being revealed in spotlight. It did nothing to calm the rage in her blood; indeed, like in her brother, it was creating a new fire.

Washu seemed amused with what he saw. "I must admit, your energy astounded me. I was rather reluctant to let it go. It was a shame that Red X did not possess the same integrity of energy as the original he mimicked. If Red X would have been your exact double, I'd still have a resource to marvel… what opportunity I've been afforded to take more."

Washu's hand waved and in the same way, the same exact spell, he made to take Nightwing's life force.

But this time it was different, this time there was Holy to protect him. Sakura was more than fast enough to generate a barrier that protected them. The thieving grey ribbon of energy bounced off of the silver barrier. Akane's eyes widened at the sight of it. Jinx frowned and kept her hex tight in her fingers. She wouldn't be fooled: no matter what Washu appeared to be doing for his own personal fun, he still had a goal and whether the Titans realized it or not, that goal was his number one objective.

Washu sneered as again his power was blocked by Holy. With her guard up, he wouldn't be able to exercise his control: he would have to get her to lose her concentration and with it, her life. He could see already that the knowledge of Dischord's progeny had upset her. He wouldn't be able to attack her mind, until he attacked her heart.

Raven tried not to let her eyes betray her awareness. She could see it through her peripheral vision; strong gold energy was slipping over the edges of Washu's grey matter as Washu concentrated on the Holy before him and not the Hope around him. She didn't want Washu to see Akane; didn't want him to say her name with his vial tongue; didn't want him to come after her, even though she knew he had, he would, and he could.

Sakura kept her powers steady as venom began to drip from the villains that cost her five years of her life.

"Sakura, are you feeling rested?" Slade asked. "You're a remarkably gifted girl Sakura, just like your brother. You have phenomenal power, but you do lack timing."

"Your sleep should have lasted another day, so you could survive to witness the Earth crumble."

"Can't say I'm sorry to disappoint you." Sakura sneered.

"It matters not, you injudicious puppet. The end of days is here. I will get the Transient daughter of Lethe and I will have the life energy I desire and Jericho will see his begotten tyro become a slave to Doomgaze."

"Azarath Faeridos Rex!"

D'ucel lifted Arsenal higher from the ground when a tremendous wave of golden magic toppled over the sea of dark power. It pushed like flowing water. The shimmering power swallowed everything under it, Akane's hands waved to catch every trace of dark magic. The black haired demoness met Washu eye to eye as she floated to the ground, her physical presence removing the last of his sinister will.

"I will not allow you to hurt my family, that I will not!" Akane's eyes had never taken a glow before, never in the months where her power was malleable under her will. But it seemed, when extreme circumstances rose, when the influence of her blood battled the sweetness of her good nature, the power within her reacted fiercely. Her eyes were hidden behind the fierce white glow, just like her mother's took when she fought the rage of her nature. Raven's mouth tightened, Jinx's hand stopped her from jumping down to assist.

Washu's dark eyes trailed over the face of his goal, setting every inch of her to memory, but his eyes took infinite care in detailing the mark of Scath on her forehead and the infinite symbol of Trigon's rule on the palm of her outstretched hand. Slade rubbed his jaw. Terra crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's Akane: Raven's Transient."

"Only a Transient would have power that impressive." Washu replied. "Impressive, but not enough to stop the inevitable… is she Astarte? Lethe?"

Jinx twisted her lip; Raven's eyes became a light in white. The scattered mass of Titans stared out at the scene before them. Behind the white shield of Sakura's Holy, Starfire released Cyborg as Blackfire did the same with Tempest. Celine and Beast King's feet touched down the same time as Foxfire and Arsenal's. They stood in an arching bow behind the most powerful of their team: behind Raven and Nightwing, Jinx and Sakura and behind Akane as she stood in front of the direct opposition of her future.

Washu stared forward, relishing the impulses of energy the Transient girl was unconsciously pushing forward. This was the energy his master craved and it was truly magnificent and it was rivaled only by his own and the power of the other Transient girl he had designed.

"Come, daughter of Lethe. Come meet the destruction you were bred for."

"Nori Enzaii Schala tu Akane Brota Gera Nes!"

"Schala?" Washu seemed to think for a moment. Slade crossed his arms over his chest and Dischord remained completely still. "Understand whelp, you will do as I command. Your life will end and the Demon Kings will rule again."

"It is no decision to make, this will come to pass. Your efforts are futile. Come Akane, you have a world of work ahead of you." Slade gestured for her to come.

"And don't worry about the Titans, they'll all meet a similar fate soon enough." Terra added.

Washu's hand wove out to strike a blow aimed at Raven's daughter. The reaction was immediate. The silver energy disappeared, retracted back to its mistress. In slow motion it seemed, the rate of their movement seemed slower than the friction they generated. Nightwing, Sakura, Jinx and Raven dove forward at the same time, Jinx came from the left, Sakura from the right, Nightwing took the bottom apex and Raven commanded the top. They attacked downward, their formation a diamond of great powers: Holy, Dark, Hexery and strength of will. Nightwing pulled his weapon back as Raven's curse words came to her lips, Jinx's fingers outstretched, Sakura's hands generated a ball of energy…

And not a single blow was landed.

The shattering grey wave struck them all. With one swipe, Washu's grey matter cut through the air and cut them down. In solid succession they landed. Jinx slammed back first into the ground, Sakura landed not inches away, holding her side. Nightwing landed on his backside, when Raven's body slammed into his chest, the pair were laid out in a capital T formation, Nightwing still on his back, Raven on her front, her hair falling into the ground, the strands unable to hide the pain in her face.

The Titans stood surprised again by the awesome display of Washu's power. The years hadn't made him any less of a monster. His powers had grown and with the Earth, the Wind and mind of Slade behind him, they were each forced to wonder if they had the might to stand against him.

Except Akane… who believed they did… believed they had to.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex!"

The golden ray of energy struck the Slade Syndicate successfully. Slade was thrown back, Terra was knocked to the ground and Washu let out a terrible roar when the gold power struck his body. As Slade and Terra struggled to pull themselves up, Nightwing did the same. Akane's power calmed and past the fading gold, Nightwing could see Washu turning a hand to his right, where Dischord stood, where Terra was pulling herself to stand.

"Dischord. Maelstrom." Washu commanded.

None of the Titans had their faces turned to Terra except Beast King, but even he couldn't be sure over the rolling wind if that short scowl on her face had been real or a figment of his imagination.

The aeromorph pulled the wind beneath her, made it lift her like a throne into the highest atmosphere of the cave of Segii. Rolling between the throwing winds were bands of grey energy, dark energy that didn't belong to the girl.

The wind howled, the entire atmosphere was at Dischord's command. Blackfire looked around worriedly; she swore she could see the demonic power of Washu seeping into the wind that pulled her hair into the air. Starfire reached out and grabbed Bumble Bee as the lightweight fighter was nearly lifted from the ground.

The wind picked up, the cyclone of wind power came crashing down from every direction, but aimed similarly, aimed at the enemies of the Slade Syndicate: at the dark bird, at the Titans' leader, Schala tu Akane, the hex artist, the cybernetic fighter, the trio of Tameranians, the Omicron and her partner, the Holy wielder, the archer, the aquamorph and the king of beasts.

It moved swiftly, striking down like the hammer of Thor, the wind swarmed in claps that struck the ground and ripped it apart. Akane crossed her arms in front of her face, the wind moving against her body, her heels dragged against the earth. The white glow of her eyes faded, over the cross of her arms she looked up into the face of the aeromorph generating the attack. Her face was calm, absolutely the same as it had been when this all started, before any of them realized what she was, who she was, and what she could do.

Jinx gasped and turned quickly, grabbing Raven and throwing them away from the epicenter of the attack. Sakura grabbed Nightwing's collar and pulled him back as well.

That left Akane to do the work.

The Titans watched Akane's gold energy fight through Dischord's power. The slender girl gritted her teeth as the wind hammered at her as she expelled a beam of her own power. She didn't want to hurt Dischord, but before they could save her, they'd have to overcome her. Akane's hands were both raised up, her fingers ticking to force her power forward. Dischord's face didn't change when the golden might was only inches in front of her. But Washu did increase his power.

Akane groaned and dropped to her knee as the backlash of Washu's influence struck around her. The purple eyed girl couldn't spare concentration to see if her friends, her family was safe. Behind her, Raven anxiously waited. She knew Akane was strong enough, she had seen it and she had prepared her for something much stronger in magnitude… but not for anything like this. Raven could see how Nightwing was watching, could see the worry in his face: his heart was tied into this more ways than she could calculate. And hers was as well.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex!"

Raven watched Akane grit her teeth as she fought her energy the last inches to Dischord's body. Dischord absorbed the blow, registering no pain as her body was knocked several feet higher into the atmosphere. The wind beneath her tunneled to keep her lifted, maintaining her levitation was automatic it seemed, it didn't require her concentration.

The grey of Washu's power dispersed and Akane's energy met Dischord's head on. The Transient daughters' powers clashed a few feet from Dischord's body. But after seconds of struggling, it was obvious that Akane wasn't gaining any ground. The black haired Transient daughter pinched her left eye closed as Dischord continued, even without the aid of Washu, to keep her energy at bay.

Jinx's face was pinched tightly; the hex she had prepared was torn to shreds by her own anxiety. She could see her niece, all that was left of her brother Laseri, fighting and losing against another power, a power a part of demon force responsible for her birth, responsible for her brother's death… _This can't be happening… why isn't she stronger? All our powers, all our strengths… how did Washu make something strong enough to stand against that? How can I hope to beat Dischord, if the sum of my powers and Raven's cannot?_

"This is bad." Bumble Bee said. They could all see how Akane couldn't keep up with Dischord Nostra.

"If Washu interferes again…" Starfire began.

"We've got to help!" Beast King said.

"There's nothing we can do if the Syndicate has the girl's back." Cyborg replied.

"Yes there is." Celine pulled her Firefly atop her shoulder, the red scouter gleamed, yellow letters spinning and settling on the frame. "Everyone get down! This is going to be flashy!"

It happened so quickly, it would remain a mystery if everyone understood what happened. Raven turned her head just in time to see an amazing white light soar over her shoulder and up past Akane's head. The energy maintained its beam form even as it twisted like a living thing. The energy force crashed into the apex of where Akane's energy met Dischord's.

The reaction catapulted an amazing light in every direction: blinding Dischord, forcing Terra to raise an arm to protect her eyes. The atmosphere shuddered with the power. The Transient energy circled and fanned out, eventually losing its concentration and spreading the blinding white light.

Washu leered, pushing his own energy into the cave of Segii. The grey washed over the white, dissipating the amplification energy that had flooded the arena.² The air cleared of all energy, Washu's energy retreating. In the air, Dischord floated, her eyes looked to the left, then to the right and saw what Slade saw.

Nothing.

The Titans had escaped.

…

ºHappiness was the most complex of all of Raven's emotions because it embodied the greatest range of what could be "happy": affection, attraction (though not lust), amusement, whimsy, but not love, hope or joy. Those were three separate functions with powers much too strong to be combined in any way, shape, or form... they were also the three youngest of her manifestations of characters. BravE coaxed the talents of Raven's newer sides to the best of her abilities, but they mostly spent their time in hiding until a situation arose where they absolutely had to be involved.

Right now, BravE was doing her best just to maintain the entity of HappinesS, because Raven was feeling everything but happy.

There was no way for Robin to know the internal struggles in her psyche. She hadn't told him and there were just some things that their delicate bond didn't afford him. He laid his friend, his companion, his teammate, on her bed at the far end of her room. He pulled her blanket to her chest and carefully rolled her to make sure she wasn't lying on her hair. When her eyes were closed it was hard to tell anything with the girl who used to be referred to as the Titans' glower child. Her eyes told more than a scowl or a smile, her eyes could be black, they could be purple, they could be sad, they could be clear and they could never lie.

But the truth wasn't hidden from any of them, especially not Robin. He had held her at the moment, he had touched her body and saw her eyes and knew to some degree that what he had feared had come true.

To some degree, they had made a mistake.

Robin touched her face, touched her arm, then left her to sleep alone. She wouldn't want to see him right away, she wouldn't want to see anyone for a little bit of time and because he respected her, he would give her that time alone.

The door closed behind him and it took all of his power not to lean back on the door. Raven was in her room and he was pretty sure he knew where everyone else was. Blackfire and Aqualad were together; Sakura was in her room; Bumble Bee was on her way to meet Hot Spot for something akin to a date; Cyborg, Beast Boy and Celine were in the medic room and Starfire was standing right in front of him.

"How is she?" Starfire asked.

"Tired." Robin said, unwilling to go any further.

"Understood. Raven has done a very… difficult thing."

Robin nodded in agreement. Starfire's green eyes took in every inch of his face. She had seen worried before, she had seen regret, frustration and anxiety on the handsome face of her best friend, but what she saw now she could not define. She did not attempt to. She had always misread Robin, even though he was her best friend. He understood her better than she did him and she wanted to correct that, but there was someone else that Starfire desperately needed to understand first.

"I must go attend to my sister. I shall see you later." Starfire said and walked away before Robin responded one way or another.

He didn't watch her go; he should have told her that she was heading the wrong way: that Blackfire was on the beach with Aqualad and not in the room that the Tameranian sisters were sharing. But he didn't. Instead he went to join the room with the most people in it. He didn't want to go in, but he had to, he couldn't be satisfied to just see it through the observation window. He held his breath. He went inside.

Beast Boy was holding his breath. He was taking up space more than he was helping, but his role couldn't be accomplished until she was awake. So he stood and waited, within arm's reach of Celine, nearly ready to pass her any tool she asked for, as long as he knew what it was.

"He was good." Celine said, running her fingers over the expended neural interface. The craftsmanship was impressive and from that impressiveness she found it was frightening that a scientific mind could be so cruel. But then again the best minds were usually victim to that specific brand of psychosis that born such horrible science. Her red clad eye scanned the network of matrixes. She found what she was looking for and looked up to her companions. Her eyes found Beast Boy's who was worried and rightly so. His sad green eyes met hers as she took a tool from his handle. "But I'm better." She said and got to work.

It was a delicate process that took nearly six hours during which Celine was exceptionally careful with every stitch and snip. She didn't draw blood and she barely pulled skin. Between Cyborg's scan and her own level of genius, she moved efficiently, methodically and thoroughly to remove all the stigma of a failed apprentice.

Celine finished fifteen minutes before she woke up. Beast Boy turned to Celine as Cyborg and Robin left to destroy every physical piece of evidence of betrayal. Beast Boy's eyes wavered, he was so close to tears that Celine thought it best to leave him alone so he could cry as hard as he needed. Just because she didn't cry, didn't mean he didn't have the right to. She had made it all of three steps when Beast Boy grabbed and held her tightly, his body shaking in the force of the hug.

The redheaded engineer looked down at the shorter Titan; the green haired morph was beside himself in relief. "Thank you, Celine. Thank you, for everything you've done."

Celine patted the younger boy on his back twice. "I'm glad that I could help."

"You've done more than help, Celine. I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you how much I appreciate everything you are."

"That kind of thing you don't need to put in words, Beast Boy. If you---"

"Beast Boy?"

He turned so suddenly he nearly knocked Celine over. He didn't think to apologize, he didn't think at all. He had heard her speak: she said his name. He turned around and saw her eyes, she was awake and those eyes were only for him.

"Terra."

Celine got to walk away without Beast Boy noticing, making sure, as she passed, that the monitoring devices were on. With that done the redheaded engineer left the room. Celine wouldn't remember in the future exactly where she went, what path she took or the answer to a lot of "why" questions she asked herself before she found her bedroom and collapsed on the floor. Sakura stared at her. Loberos licked her hand and whined.

"Omicron, what's your damage?" Sakura asked.

Celine laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Loberos dropped his chin onto her flat stomach. Her high heeled boot rubbed against the carpet and Celine decided not to answer her roommate. The room they were staying in didn't belong to them originally. At first it was the homestead of a particular geomorph who had came, saw and conquered the Titans in a very short amount of time. In an equally short amount of time, Celine and Sakura came, saw and rooted amongst the Titans. They had randomly decided to paint the room to match their sensibilities: Sakura's half was proud and detailed, Celine's side was clean and warm. They fit together, they belonged where they were.

Over the next two days, Celine introduced herself to Terra and tended her as kindly as she was capable of. Sometimes she tended to Terra and talked to her, was so very delicate with her, mindful of her tests. She always made sure the girl was taken care of and did her best to make up for the fact that she was one of two Titans that ever came to see her.

Celine talked to Terra Nostra, discovered they had the same middle name, the same favorite color and same favorite ice cream flavor. They didn't have much more in common besides those things, except of course for Beast Boy, whom they both had invested an important friendship in. The magnitude of which would separate their personalities into two distinct avenues.º

…

Beast King waited for the cue and pressed the silver button the same time Arsenal did. Three of them watched the force field erect from the floor to the ceiling. Celine crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's generated from some of Sakura's powers, so it should block anything metaphysical, like Washu's power… I didn't know what else to prepare for, so I don't know what it will hold up against." Celine admitted.

Arsenal dusted the knees of his dark leather pants. "Probably won't be necessary. These guys don't chase. They like to lay in waiting."

Beast King agreed and Celine frowned. "How are you holding up Beast King?" She asked.

"About as good as everyone else I guess."

Which was to say, not too well.

The Titans had fled after Celine unleashed her diversion technique, the team running deeper into the Cave of Segii. There really wasn't any other place to go. The Cave of Segii continued for at least another two hours or so. They were putting off that two hour journey for just long enough for the Titans to gather themselves from what they had just witnessed.

Cyborg sat in front of Jinx and wrapped her wrist gently. The half demoness flexed her fingers, all her nails were broken, one had splintered and cut skin. It hurt, but it was the least of her worries.

Tempest rolled his shoulder when Akane lifted her hand. "You're alright, that you are."

"Yeah, thanks Akane." Tempest replied.

The purple eyed girl turned her head to the rest of her companions. "Does anyone else require healing?"

No one answered her. Raven turned her head from her own hands and looked up at her daughter. She didn't know if her face betrayed her worry. She couldn't think about worry now, but it was all there was to do.

"Akane, come sit down. Everyone come sit down." Raven said.

The collective eye lay focused in the space between them, where Sakura had dropped her weapon. It was hard to feel the relief of seeing their friend okay when they were concerned for a different girl.

"The girl is a Transient?" Celine asked. "She's like Akane?"

Raven nodded. "There's no mistaking energy like that."

"Then it's the same thing that happened to you?" Cyborg asked.

Raven didn't answer. Akane fidgeted her hands. To her left, Nightwing clenched his eyes closed. He could feel every thin hair on his arms and legs; he could feel sweat generating at his brow.

"Terra has employed the skills of Washu to make a Transient daughter."

"Nightwing's daughter." Starfire clarified.

Celine and Arsenal blanched similarly. Sakura's knuckles cracked fiercely. Nightwing's did the same. Tempest ran a glove clad hand through his dark tress.

"That energy he stole five years ago." Tempest recalled.

Beast King rubbed the back of his head. "But Nightwing isn't a demon."

Jinx shook her head. "No, he's not, but it doesn't matter. A Transient is an energy sire between a virgin and a source – demon, human, angel it makes no difference."

Nightwing stood up, his fists clenched as he stared across the circle of Titans to the half demoness who so nonchalantly verified his paternity. "It does make a difference! That girl isn't X's daughter, she's mine!"

Akane's wide eyes rose to Nightwing's profile. Her hand touched his arm gently. The simple touch was enough to make him look down at her. His masked eyes saw Raven's eyes in the face of her daughter, just like he saw his eyes in his daughter.

"We will save her, that we will."

Nightwing's fist shook at his side. Fox and Starfire felt uneasy in the pit of their stomachs and Raven's eyes wavered back and forth as Nightwing's blood boiled beneath his skin. Akane saw then, a wound on Nightwing's hip. "Otou… you didn't say you required healing."

The young demon fraction raised a hand to touch the injury and was only slightly hurt when Nightwing stormed off as if repelled by her touch. The Titans watched him go, to stand alone in a corner of their safeguard away from their collective circle. With Nightwing removed, Akane could see straight to the eyes of her mother.

"He doesn't like me?"

"Of course he does… he has a lot to think about." Raven replied. Raven got up and followed behind Nightwing, but Akane remained behind, reaching under her mage's sleeve to gently finger the dream catcher around her wrist.

"We all do." Sakura stated.

"I thought things were bad before." Cyborg admitted. "Between Trigon, Slade, Washu, Terra… we're facing something huge and we've got to be ready."

"We're strong enough to do it," Arsenal decided, "We just need to have the heart to do it."

Celine ran an uneasy hand through her dark red tresses. Her thoughts were similar to most of the others; focused on the actions of the most dangerous of the Slade Syndicate: Terra Nostra. "She created another human being to get her revenge."

"Terra's no different than Slade." Tempest decided.

Beast King turned his head to the side. His arms crossed firmly over his chest as he steeled his heart. "I wouldn't be surprised if she made the plan herself."

Starfire would see the way Celine's eyes wavered, but would say nothing.

Cyborg rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "And both times he used "Robin" as his base… This stinks of Slade… Red X is gone, but another part of his failed apprentice is causing damage."

"They lose a member of their syndicate and they replace it like a broken grogmac." Starfire posited.

"And they'll do the same with Dischord when they're done with her." Tempest stated.

Blackfire frowned. "Her name is Choris… Terra said so…"

Bumble Bee, Sakura and Celine bit their lower lips. Their eyes shifted from those whom the name Choris meant something, to those whom it obviously did not. One who did spoke up, cementing what they all knew to be true.

"For everything she is… we can't just pretend she's just another villain…" Bumble Bee said.

Celine nodded. "So now we have a rescue mission."

Most of the others nodded in agreement. Jinx shook her head in the negative.

"Our mission is the same. To stop the end of the world, Akane has to best the Yiken Stone. Running won't do us any good."

Beast King looked back at her squarely. "No one plans on running."

"We'll save Choris and we'll defeat Slade, Washu and Terra." Arsenal declared, his fingers trailed down his bow, catching the grip firmly, the moisture seemed to disappear with his concentration. In truth, he was just ignoring it because his focus was somewhere else.

In the center of their circle Sakura's weapon laid perfectly still. Sakura's eyes were on it, while Arsenal's eyes were on her.

"I'm going to annihilate Terra… Any chance she had for compassion is gone. But not for Choris… My brother's daughter… Choris is being controlled by a slave crown, the same one he used to control Tetris… my Holy can't break it."

Akane's voice cut in the despairing silence. Her gold energy wrapped around the hiraikotsu then pulled away. Sakura turned her attention to the young half-demon girl's face. "Perhaps Hope can."

Akane stood up and went to join her parents.

Nightwing sat only because Raven forced him to. His bruised right hand was locked between Raven's as she healed the abused joints. If she had waited any longer to stop him, either he was going to punch a hole through the cave wall, break his hand or both. She didn't want either.

"How could this have happened? How could she, how could any of them do this, any of this?" Nightwing asked.

"The machinations of evil are the cruelest when they involve the hearts of their adversaries. They knew that and they used it. But they won't go unpunished."

"But she's my… I… I can't fight her." Nightwing replied.

"I can."

Nightwing and Raven turned their heads and saw Akane standing above them, her right hand rested over her heart. Nightwing could see the barest glimmer of the trinket that bonded him to her.

"If the Syndicate is as evil as I fear to believe, they will use her to make us submit to Trigon's will. But I won't give up without a fight, Otou-sama. Neither will you, that you will not."

Raven's hands tightened around Nightwing's as his feet pushed against the ground to shift his hips, butting his back against the wall. Nightwing had no choice put to look up into Akane's eyes as she kneeled down beside him so she was on his left, Raven on his right. Akane took his left hand and held it. Nightwing closed his eyes.

"A year ago, I was ready to be a father to you… and now I have two daughters to protect."

"We're not going to let Terra get away with what she's done and I won't let her hurt Choris." Raven said softly. She had heard it too, what Terra had named Nightwing's daughter… the girl that was rightfully Raven's, rightfully a part of her family. "Nobody messes with my kids."³

A sob wracked Nightwing's body. A single powerful shudder ran through the entirety of his nervous system. His hands clenched Raven's and Akane's and the two purple eyed women gripped his hands back. Raven steadied Nightwing's breathing and let him fall asleep between them. They laid him on his side gently, Raven curled up at his front, Akane at his back and laid there to rest peacefully, if only for an hour or two.

Akane felt Nightwing's heartbeat through his strong back. She could feel the throb with every exhale. There was no shaking the unsettling feeling she felt. What worried Akane more than who Choris was was what Choris was: stronger than Akane. And that was the truth. Whether or not Washu assisted would only shift the battle more in Choris' favor, but the scale had already tipped that way, if Akane was to assume that what they had seen was the aeromorph's full power. Akane's own energy was a dangerous force, it could heal, it could destroy, it could defend… but the most important of those things was defense.

The blood of Demon Kings soared through her. She was so close to the Yiken stone she could feel the power of Trigon resonating in her, acting on every cell born from his legacy. It hurt on the inside, it stole her concentration and that was what made her less than fit to fight the forces that stood against her: but that didn't mean she wouldn't fight.

If Washu's confidence surpassed his sensibility, she would encounter Dischord Nostra without aid from the full demon. It was what she hoped for, because that was the only way to ensure that her friends, her family, wasn't hurt attempting to assist her. The truth was that the fight that was coming was her own. No matter how much her mother wished it wasn't so, not matter what the Titans wanted, it was only Akane's Transient abilities that would seal the Yiken stone. Her success would depend greatly on the amount of power she put into the rescue of Choris…

Even though she knew it hadn't happened, Akane felt it in her bones that Nightwing had moved in his sleep. The unease in his mind couldn't be calmed by sleep… it could only be calmed when Choris was where she belonged. Akane touched her forehead to the upper swell of his back.

_We will save my sister, Otou-sama. I'll protect her. I promise, that I do._

…

For fifteen minutes Celine sat by herself at the western cave wall that served as one of the boundaries of their safeguard. Her Firefly cannon laid at her side, her right boot was crossed over the other, her hands were folded in her lap. She was looking out at the silver-white force field that was erected through her engineering, feeling absolutely no satisfaction in her mastery of science.

Starfire came and sat beside her, the poor energy transmitting from the other female Titan redhead bothered her and even though she didn't need to ask what caused Celine's distress, she did.

"It isn't something I can put to words truthfully. I'm not sure what I feel or think anymore."

"To be truthful, Celine, I do not believe you."

"Nobody ever does."

"You are very much like I was in the beginning of my friendships with the Titans." Starfire said. "I was social, but I was also isolated."

"You're a stranger in a strange land, Starfire; it's not the same thing."

"Uncertainty is a strange land no matter where you are from. You have done your best to make yourself an emotional island, my friend. What did you wish to accomplish?"

"If I knew that, Starfire, I'd have all the answers." Celine replied.

Starfire said nothing. She continued to kneel where she was. The green eyed Tameranian princess waited.

"The truth is, Starfire, I'm feeling regret… despite everything I told Beast King, I wish I never succeeded in saving Terra's life."

"Terra has done… many unspeakable things, but none of those things are a fault of yours."

"That's what I want to believe, but when I think about the last few years, when I think about this," Celine touched the scar on the left side of her forehead, "I wish I was anyone but myself… for the last five years this person hasn't felt right in my skin. Colonel⁴ Celine Marie Keelin-Fletcher, she isn't who I want to be. I'd be anyone else but me."

"Do you wish to be her?" Starfire asked. No qualification was necessary. They only referred to one person as her: when they couldn't bear to say her name.

"Not for who she is, no."

"Then for her name?"

"No. There's nothing about her that I want to be associated with."

"Except..."

Celine forced an exhale. Starfire let her eyes travel to follow Celine's sight. They could see how the team was resting, or at least calming their unease. Arensal and Sakura sat across from each other, their foreheads touching, their eyes closed. For five years they had been denied the feeling of each other, in the deepest sense of the word "close", and the only had a few hours to savor it before the fight that would change their lives was coming. Even after years of being locked away heart and mind, their souls could connect just by a mutual touch.

Tempest and Blackfire were lying together. Blackfire's head rested on Tempest's shoulder and Tempest kept an arm wrapped around his fiancée. Both Celine and Starfire smiled at the display.

Cyborg and Jinx were too far away to clearly see exactly what they were doing together: whether talking gently, touching each other's faces or declaring desire for a more intimate friendship. Celine's eyes skipped before Starfire's and lingered where Star's would not. Raven's arm draped from Nightwing's waist to Akane's shoulder, her thumb running slowly over the exposed skin of Akane's upper arm. Raven was most likely awake and feeling some mix of unease and happiness to have the two most important people in her life in her arms.

The female Titan redheads crossed gazes where Beast King and Foxfire sat back to back. Beast King's head was bowed down, his arms crossed over his chest, his mouth in a straight line. Celine noticed the slight shake in his eyebrow, it was his look of concentration, it hadn't changed in the five and a half years she had known him. While Celine's brown eyes traced Beast King's face, Starfire's gaze watched D'ucel. The Tameranian Foxfire never bowed his head, his shoulders were always pulled back and his blue eyes never wavered, even in his uncertainty, distress or woe. His gaze was perfectly straight, what he saw, Starfire did not know: it would be a lie to say that she did not wish to.

When Starfire's eyes moved to Bumble Bee's figure, she saw that Celine's eyes had not. It was no small secret, to the sensitive females of Titans' Tower that Beast King mattered dearly to Celine, to what magnitude Celine would not volunteer. The confusion of the heart Celine felt was akin to what Starfire felt, but their difference was magnitude. Starfire knew how much and to what degree she felt the distress of being lonely, with Celine it was much more difficult to tell.

"His heart is not mine to volunteer… but I wish you the best." Starfire whispered gently.

Celine blinked slowly. Her brown eyes moved from Beast King and Foxfire out to the barrier on her left. "Starfire."

"Yes?"

"Is D'ucel his Tameranian name or his translated name?"

"It is his name from the language of Tameran. As my name is Koriand'r, his is D'ucel."

"What's his translated name?" Celine asked.

"His name… does not translate. If it were to be another word, it is Ph'yzzon⁵. It means seeing."

"I suppose that means he can see what is right in front of his face?"

Starfire knitted her brow, but did not get the opportunity to voice her question. Beast King and Foxfire came and stood before the two redheads.

"As fascinating as whatever it was that you were talking about was, maybe you two should get some rest. Who knows when we'll have to move out?" Beast King suggested.

Foxfire nodded his head in agreement. Starfire shook her head in the negative. "I am not tired."

"Neither am I." Celine replied. Beast King took a seat at her feet and D'ucel sat took the lotus position inches away from the feet of Koriand'r. Foxfire said nothing; Starfire said nothing and Beast King waited. "Besides," Celine continued. "The upcoming battle isn't ours."

"Yes it is," Beast Kind disagreed. "It's all of ours. They're going to need us to stand strong, whether or not we actually fight. Its one of the things that comes with being---"

"Family." Celine finished.

End of Chapter Fourteen

A/N

¹R destruction, "our destruction"

²Not unlike the amplification system she used to free Terra in Chapter Six.

³One of Raven's best lines from Season Five: one that really strikes home about her feelings about the future. If Nightwing sees Raven's daughter is his, then by association, Raven sees Nightwing's daughter as hers.

⁴ It was brought to my attention that I mixed up the ranking order for my military system. If Celine is a General and her father is a Colonel, she's actually outranking him. Doesn't really matter as far as the story goes, but it bothered at least one reviewer and for that, I made the correction.

⁵ Oh canon.

Dischord fights with the Akido fighting styles of Nina and Anna Williams from Tekken 5: which is to say, very dangerous stuff. The move she used on Jinx was Nina's overhead throw.


	55. Delta

Delta

A/N: Sorry about the long wait between updates. Between my birthday and losing internet, getting this baby out was a hard ride. This chapter is the longest chapter in the story (80 pages), take it in parts.

For being reviewer number two-hundred, this chapter is dedicated to Bunny Squirrel.

…

ºLeft kick. Right kick. Back elbow. Thrust palms. Stomp. Backhand. Spin left. Back flip. Spider crouch. Razor's edge. Stomp. Drop elbow. Double Back elbow. Front roll. Pivot. Serpent strike. Left kick. Right kick. Back elbow. Breathe.

Their bodies moved in nearly perfect syncopation. His moves were more fluid and faster, hers sharper and stronger. Their moves were executed swiftly; uppercuts, back kicks, spinning elbows and brutal chops beat into the air.

Her body turned and they played shadow games. His left monkey foot strike was mimicked with her right. Their legs slid closed, their fists balled as their elbows pushed past their backs. His head turned to the left, hers to the right. His left knee rose, her right, his right palm thrust ahead, her left. Every motion he made, she mimicked, right down to his breathing, his blinking. Until he attacked.

Their bodies made wind that pulled their midnight black hair, his backwards, hers forwards. His Dragon's Claw was caught in her Phoenix Wing. His Splitting Buddha dropped him under her Striking Cobra. Their tumbles moved them towards and away from each other. Wrists blocked ankles, his straight kick connected, her body shifted automatically to land a handspring rather than land on her back. He advanced, he tumbled to his hands and moved, his hands acting as spinning feet as his legs cycloned out in a rolling succession of swipes.¹ She held her guard as he twisted his hips to drop into a low crouch. He couldn't defend when a cool smirk lanced over her features: she moved, her body twisting in a controlled roundhouse tumble, her hands gripping his shoulders. As her body turned, her knees shot forward, slamming into his upper back. As his body crashed forward, she rolled with his momentum,² spinning onto her knee before standing and tumbling a few feet out of his range. She readied her fists and waited… and waited… and waited…

She sighed, brushing a lock of black hair from her face. She walked forward with her hands on her hips before squatting and looking down at her defeated foe. "That's it? That's all you've got?"

He looked up at her, one eyebrow raised. She smiled coolly, offering her hand to him. He took it and stood, rolling his shoulders to release some of the stress from his back. "That really hurt." He admitted.

"Of course it did, little brother." Sakura said, brushing off her shoulders. "I'm better than you."

Robin laughed. "Things aren't the same as they were years ago, Sakura."

"Time changes lots of things, but not the fact that I'm a superior fighter. You're a better gymnast, I'll give you that."

Robin laughed as he and his sister left the training room. "You can't give me that, it's unquestionable."

"Right. Just like my being a better fighter is undeniable."

The sibling pair moved through the corridor towards their respective rooms. According to Robin's internal calendar, it was date twenty three. That wasn't to say it was the twenty third day of the month or the twenty third week of the year. He didn't count time that way any longer. Not since twenty three dates ago, when he kissed Raven.

Things were, for a lack of a better word, good for him. He had great friends, great times and a great girl. He was entering a phase in his life which was different than any other he had experienced, with the exception of the very first years of his life, when everything was good. There was no conflict, there was no stress, and as of yet, there was no Slade. Starfire had seemingly accepted the conditions of their friendship, being that they were just friends. Cyborg had gotten over the initial shock of the budding relationship of the Titans' leader and the resident mystic and everyone else had their own lives to attend to.

Things were, for a lack of a better word, good for him.

"Neh, Robin." Sakura broke the Boy Wonder's concentration.

"What is it?"

"I was thinking, outside of training, we don't spend that much time together anymore."

Robin knitted his masked brow. "You don't think?"

"It's not a matter of think: it's **know**."

"I guess we've both been busy."

"Budding relationships…" Sakura said.

"Sort of worth it."

Sakura smiled. "Definitely."

"You're easy to read whenever you think about Speedy. You blush." Sakura's left hand brushed her pony tail back behind her shoulder. "You love him, don't you?"

Sakura nodded.

"How do you know? I mean, it's only been a short amount of time for you two."

"Time isn't a factor. The heart knows what it knows."

"How do you know… when the heart knows?"

"I have a sneaking suspicion that we're not talking about me anymore."

"Bruce would have kittens if he knew what a detective you've become." Robin replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Sakura gave him a sour look. She cracked her knuckles and Robin recognized that he was cruisin' for a bruisin'. He put his hands up defensively. "Look, I don't want to make a big scene out of this… its just that you and Speedy seem to have it all together."

"From what I've seen, you and Raven are pretty well put together too."

"For her part definitely, there's not doubt… but it's different for me. I---"

"Have the emotional capacity of a twelve year old?" Sakura finished.

She turned to the side and look away innocently as Robin shook a crossed fist at her. She wasn't the first person to say that about him, hardly the first one to say it to his face. It was actually unfair to say. In any case, Robin let the insult slide, simply because he didn't want to make a fuss about it, but also because no one took him seriously when he was angry anyway. They only took it seriously when he was really angry. He still ground out the words rather than spoke them. "I was going to say 'never felt anything like this before.' But thanks."

"Well, that's one of the ways, Dear Brother, to understanding how you feel."

"By not understanding?"

"Bing-o."

"That doesn't make sense." Robin replied.

"What in the world makes you think that this is supposed to be easy? I'm your big sister, your confusion sustains me." Sakura laughed then straightened up when she realized that her brother didn't think she was humorous in the slightest. "I can't explain to you how you'll know, Dear Brother. You just will."

"I know what I feel."

"How do you feel?"

"Strongly! She means the world to me."

"Then what is the fuss about?"

"What fuss?" Robin asked.

"Wait, what were we talking about?"

"We were talking about how we don't spend enough time together." Robin replied, suddenly aware that he was very well equipped to dodge embarrassing situations.

"Right. Well, we can fix that. How about we have lunch together? Speedy won't be back until later tonight, so I'm free mostly all day."

"I planned on having lunch with Raven, it's a date."

"See if she'll push it back to a dinner date. When Speedy gets back, I doubt I'll have any free time. Hey, we can double date later!"

"I'm not double dating with my sister. But I'll take lunch, I'm sure Raven won't mind."

"Alright then. How about I make some sushi?"

"That sounds good, haven't had any since I left Gotham. Lets hope Aqualad isn't anywhere near the kitchen." Robin replied.

Aqualad was in the common room, along with most of the other Titans. They were huddled mostly in a mass around the table, all of their collective attention focused on a magazine. Starfire lifted her head from the huddle. "Robin, Sakura, you must come! It has arrived!"

"What's arrived Starfire?"

"The issue of the week for the Young Heroes magazine!"

"Alright! I've been waiting all month for this one! It's the Young Hero spotlight." Robin sat down at an empty seat next to where Raven was standing, casually putting his arm around her waist and pulling her into his lap. She didn't protest. She never did. "Have they started making guesses yet?" Robin asked her.

Raven shook her head in the negative. "Not yet… but it's bound to start any---"

"Dude, I totally saved the day that time last month when Killer Moth was trying to---"

Aqualad cut off the young animorph, spinning the still wrapped issue to face himself. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it's Speedy for that thing he did in Steel City---"

Cyborg reached past Aqualad and pulled the magazine in front of him. "What about me?" Cyborg yelled. "I totally nailed Cinderblock single handedly."

Aqualad shrugged his shoulders. "The girl is definitely Blackfire." Said Tameranian princess raised an eyebrow, just as most of the other Titans did.

Cyborg rolled his eye. "You always say Blackfire no matter what happens."

Aqualad looked defensive but said nothing. Beast Boy took his opportunity to snatch the magazine. "The girl is Starfire for sure. She totally handled---"

Celine snatched the magazine from Beast Boy. "But she won last month. She can't go two in a row. It's never been done."

Celine nearly fell out of her seat when a bird-a-rang whizzed forward. The weapon wrapped around the bound magazine and yanked it from her hands. Robin caught it, ignoring Raven rolling her eyes at his right and Aqualad balking at his left. "Except by me: I have the all time record of times winning."

Beast Boy waved his arms wildly, clearly unimpressed. Bumble Bee shook her head at the display, but Beast Boy went on unaffected. "We know, we know! We've all seen your wall of accomplishments: most times spotlight, most gadgets used in a single fight, most likely to succeed. Whatever. Anyway, it's definitely my time to shine."

Sakura reached across the table and took possession of the magazine. "Who's won it so far on the team?" She asked.

"I have." Robin replied.

"Me too." Aqualad added.

"Only because it was a beauty contest." Cyborg replied, not so under his breath that the whole team couldn't hear him.

Aqualad balked and Blackfire knelt out of harm's way as Aqualad seemed to double in size, his mouth composed of jagged fangs rather than thin lips and mouth. "How can you say that? I'm a legitimate hero! I can't help it if I'm also extremely attractive!"

Raven nodded. "He has a point."

Robin balked before nonchalantly placing an electro-disk on Aqualad's chair. When the aquamorph took his seat, he was fiercely electrocuted. His black tress stood straight on end to match his stupefied look. The charge of electricity ran through his body and he made a mental note to throttle Robin, or at the very least hide his hair gel.

"Well we all know who it isn't going to be!" Beast Boy said, bringing everyone back to topic, taking the magazine from Sakura's hands.

"You?" Raven asked.

"That's right… wait! No! That's not right!" The team rolled their eyes at the youngest Titan. "I was going to say the other BB. Bumble Bee totally got handled by Plasmus last week and I had to bail her out."

A sharp metallic sound sliced through the air. Beast Boy turned to look at the offended Bumble Bee, who was targeting her stingers with dead accuracy at his person, and became increasingly aware of his own mortality.

Starfire grabbed the magazine from Beast Boy's terror rigid fingers. "Please, I am most anxious to see who has won the spotlight of this month." With that the pretty Tameranian pulled off the cover and flipped through the magazine to find what she was looking for. When she landed on the appropriate page her pretty, red brow furrowed.

"What is it Star?" Cyborg asked.

"I am confused. There are multiple winners."

"There's always a boy and a girl winner." Aqualad said, finally calming the electric current running through his body.

"Yes, however, this circumstance is different. There are multiple winners for each category. There are two female and two male."

"A tie?"

"Now there's something never done before." Robin said.

"So who won Star?" Celine asked.

"The male winners are Speedy and the Kid Flash. The females are Raven and the Batgirl."

"Alright, Raven: your first win!"

"And Speedy too!"

"Too bad you had to share it with Batgirl."

Sakura snorted gently. "Way to go Babs."

"You know the Batgirl?" Blackfire asked.

Sakura nodded. "She's a friend of the family." Sakura might have said more, but became aware of the nervous look on Robin's face.

"Who is this Kid Flash guy?" Beast Boy asked. "And how did he manage to out hero me?"

"Apparently he's new to the scene." Celine said, reading over Starfire's shoulder. "But he and Batgirl are partners, according to the article. They help govern Gotham together."

"Robin," Raven said. "Why do you get flustered when someone says Batgirl?"

"I… I'm not… flustered…"

"Robin, you are… sweating profusely. You are feverish?" Starfire asked.

"I'm thinking caught out." Cyborg replied. "Something tells me Robbie and Batgirl have some history."

Robin turned stark white. His bones squeaked like an unoiled hinge when Raven stood up from his lap and stared down at him. "Is that true?"

"No, I mean, yeah. I mean, she's a friend of mine and we do have history but it's totally history and she's not what you think she is and---"

The Titans had never heard anyone speak as fast as Robin and if they didn't get him to stop sweating the Titans would have a new indoor swimming pool.

"Robin, it's okay." Raven replied.

For a few seconds the babbling continued before the Titans' leader recognized her sentiment. "O-kay?" He asked.

"If she's your ex-girlfriend, so be it."

"You're not jealous?" Robin asked.

"Why would I be jealous? Besides, it's not like I ever have to meet her."

The moment the sentiment escaped her mouth, a flash of movement shifted the wind in the room. Raven's cloak and hair were tossed to the air as an incredibly fast moving body circled around her. She blinked rapidly as the other Titans did before the dashing yellow and red figure raced from their sights.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

Raven went to raise her arms but found they were heavier than she remembered them a second ago. She looked down and found a dozen long stemmed white roses laid delicately in her arms.

"Where did those come from?" Robin asked.

"From me."

The Titans turned collectively to the new comer in their mist. He looked rather cool leaning against the flat panel computer display. His red and yellow outfit fit him like a glove. He walked forward with his hands behind his back, approaching Raven with a single-minded determination that if Raven admitted to herself, would have been rather cute.

His huge blue eyes were rather familiar. Indeed they had all looked at his picture not seconds ago.

"You're---"

"Kid Flash, fastest boy alive and you're the Teen Titans."

"Welcome to Titans' Tower, Kid Flash. But what brings you here?" Robin asked.

"You. Or, more specifically, her." Kid Flash replied, pointing non-threateningly to Raven.

"Me?" Raven asked.

Kid Flash nodded, holding up his own issue of Young Hero. "I read about you in this month's spotlight. I found you… interesting. So I thought I'd come to meet you."

"But why the flowers?"

"I like you."

Robin turned beet red and Raven blushed faintly.

"Like her? You don't even know her!" Robin shouted defensively.

"Not yet. I read about her in the spotlight, she seems like a nice girl. I'd like to get to know her better."

The peanut gallery snacked nosily on popcorn as they watched the drama unfold. Their curious eyes shifted from the long-haired Raven, as she looked down at her gift, to a seething Robin and an oh-so-cool Kid Flash.

The girls huddled. Beast Boy, Aqualad and Cyborg raised a collective eyebrow before Cyborg generated his satellite dish to amplify their hushed conversation.

"So the collective decision is that he's very cute." Bumble Bee whispered.

"And very bold." Starfire added.

Celine looked back over Sakura's shoulder. "And very close to being throttled if he doesn't exit Raven's personal space immediately."

The other girls took turns looking over Sakura's shoulder with the inconspicuousness of a green mongoose in the HIVE academy. "Raven does not seem to mind." Blackfire whispered.

"It's Robin that's going to bring the pain." Sakura replied.

Robin put himself between Raven and Kid Flash, his body blocking Raven's person. He stared defensively at the masked new comer. "You're right, she is a wonderful girl, but she's not interested in your moves, Lance Romance." Robin replied.

Kid Flash leaned to his right to make eye contact with Raven. "Is he always this lame or is he making a special effort just for me?"

Raven didn't want to laugh, she really didn't. She did her best to cover it up by giving a non-committing answer to Kid Flash's question. Robin heard her easy laughter. Kid Flash smiled.

"The article said you don't smile much, but I knew you'd loosen up if you met me. You were just waiting for the right guy to feel comfortable with." Kid Flash said, grinning gently at the blush on Raven's cheek.

The peanut gallery took a step back to avoid any splatter resulting from the volcano of Robin's fury. The Boy Wonder doubled in size as he yelled down at Kid Flash. "Raven smiles plenty! She's already found the right guy!"

Kid Flash raised an eyebrow. He ignored Robin and looked past Raven's shoulders to the other men of Titans' Tower. He dashed past Raven and Robin, leaving them both confused. Kid Flash ran circles around Cyborg, Beast Boy and Aqualad. The Titan males stood perfectly still until the master dasher stopped and looked them up and down.

"You're too short." Kid Flash pushed Beast Boy away. "I'm getting the big brother vibe from you." Kid Flash turned his back to Cyborg. "So I guess it's you." Kid Flash rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he looked Aqualad up and down. The Atlantian demigod reeled and Blackfire put herself between Kid Flash and Aqualad. Kid Flash raised an eyebrow. Apparently he had guessed wrong. His eyes widened as Blackfire and Aqualad were pushed away from his vision, crashing into something nosily outside the range of his vision. He would have turned to see where they landed if currently the Boy Wonder wasn't standing in front of him seething.

"I'm her boyfriend! Not Aqualad!" Robin yelled.

Kid Flash frowned before shaking his head in the negative. "That can't be… you're Batgirl's boyfriend."

For a split second the room became so still, Kid Flash could hear the air moving and he didn't like it at all. A dust ball rolled across the floor as if Titans' Tower were a dude ranch and a duel was about to begin. The peanut gallery was stupefied, Robin was stupefied and two windows and a vase exploded. The flowers in her hands didn't stand a chance.

The rain of petals set Robin and his team into motion. The spectating Titans seven restrained Raven as Robin moved forward.

"No, I'm not." He told Kid Flash. He was sweating again, his voice cracked and he was constantly shifting his eyes towards his backside, painfully aware that the team didn't have the capacity to restrain Raven.

"Yes you are. She said so. She has tons of photographic evidence." Kid Flash replied.

Seven Titans were hurled across the room as Raven's fury won out over their restraint.

"Robin…"

Said Titan tried not to show his fear. He could feel Raven's shadow on his back and it was heavier than a lot of consequences of his own actions. She was glaring in the way that she did when she was preparing to smite something. It was the first time Robin had been the target of that particular fury and if he didn't get Raven to calm down, it would be his last.

The other Titans realized it too. Sakura righted herself. She and Beast Boy had landed similarly, thrown upside down against the couch. The black haired martial artist turned to Beast Boy as Celine pulled herself up from behind the couch. Her legs had been dangling over the edge, her boots kicking Beast Boy in his bum.

"We should stop her." The red haired engineer said, fixing her hair.

"And how do you suppose to do that?" Beast Boy asked, producing the Young Heroes magazine from behind his back. "You've read her profile," Beast Boy cleared his throat as he quoted the article. "Raven has a wealth of power and determination unmatched by any young hero to date." Beast Boy slammed the magazine shut and pointed to the furious Raven. "If she wants to crush the Boy Wonder, he's going to get crushed."

"Beast Boy, distract her!" Sakura demanded.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you're expendable!"

"Hey!"

"Beast Boy, just go!" Celine yelled.

Beast Boy slunk close to Raven, who was only a few feet away from Robin. Kid Flash had done the smart thing and taken a hiding spot on the other side of the couch beside Celine. Beast Boy stepped in front of Raven and took the attention of the righteously angry Raven.

"Hey Raven." Beast Boy spat out nervously. "I… I thought you weren't jealous."

Robin groaned. Sakura and Celine slapped their foreheads. The other Titans sighed. They really needed to stop putting their fate in the hands of Beast Boy. He had all the right intentions, but had the execution skills of frozen yogurt.

"No, I refuse to believe… Beast Boy, there's no way you could be that dumb." Bumble Bee said.

"You'd be surprised." Cyborg replied.

"At this point nothing surprises me." Celine added, shaking her head in disbelief.

Beast Boy gawked. "Hey! I can hear you. I'm not a complete idiot."

Robin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, some parts are missing."

Raven's eyes flashed white. "Beast Boy… you should run… and pray you're faster than me."

Beast Boy laughed nervously. Robin looked forward to the green Titan who hadn't moved a muscle. "I think she means it." Robin said.

Beast Boy craned his neck back to look at him. "I keep trying to run, but my legs won't work."

Starfire gave a shout and rushed over to help Beast Boy after a bubble of dark magic hurled him across the room. With the last physical barrier removed between Robin and Raven, the purple haired mystic stalked forward and grabbed Robin by the collar of his uniform.

"Robin…"

"Raven, let me explain!"

"Explain to me how I'm supposed to be **your** girlfriend, when you're still seeing Batgirl."

"But I'm not still seeing Batgirl! I was never officially seeing Batgirl to begin with. It was puppy love. We were just kids, I swear!"

"That's not what Batgirl said." Kid Flash posited from behind the couch. A zap of black energy struck the lightening fast hero. A fazed Kid Flash opened his mouth to retort, but Sakura covered his mouth with both hands. "Not helping!" She hissed.

"Raven, trust me. Kid Flash and Batgirl are mistaken if they think I belong to anyone other than you. I swear Raven. I wouldn't lie to you. I care about you too much to mess up what we have." Robin pleaded.

Raven relaxed her grip. The Titans released a shuddering breath. Robin touched Raven's cheek and the long haired mage faced him with an apology clear in her eyes. Kid Flash dashed to their side.

"I'm sorry for causing confusion. I guess Batgirl had it wrong."

"No damage done, Kid Flash." Robin replied, wrapping one arm around Raven's waist and extending the other to shake the lightspeed runner's hand. Kid Flash gladly accepted.

"I'm not a home wrecker, so I'll leave you two in peace. But Raven, if things don't work out…"

"Kid Flash, don't push it." Robin said defensively, gripping Raven a little tighter.

"Right." Kid Flash turned and looked at the wealth of beautiful Titan females. "Well, while I'm here, I should take the opportunity to meet each and every one of the lovely Titans."

The boys sweat dropped. Cyborg stepped in front of Celine and Aqualad blocked off Blackfire. Raven watched the display with amusement as Kid Flash dashed to stand between Sakura and Starfire. Beast Boy immediately jumped into Kid Flash's range of attention, waving the Young Heroes magazine in front of the lightning fast do-gooder's face and spouting off instances of his superior super herory.

"So, I'm sorry. About not believing you at first." Raven said in nearly a whisper.

"Don't worry about it Raven. I can understand your being defensive. I am a great catch."

Raven pinched him. "It's just a good thing that Batgirl wasn't here in person… it could have been ugly."

Kid Flash dashed forward, dropping his arms onto Raven and Robin's shoulders. "Yeah… about that…"

With unbeatable timing, the door to the Titans' common room slid open. Robin didn't want to look, he also didn't like the fact that Raven was looking and that three kitchen appliances were shrouded in a familiar black energy. Robin sighed and turned his head.

Into the common room indeed had entered Batgirl.

It would be no stretch of the truth to say that Batgirl looked good in black leather. The lithe crime fighter walked forward in a short, black leather dress, her emblem embossed in brown leather in the dead center of her ample chest. Her boots stopped just below the asymmetrical cut of her dress. Her purple utility belt hung low on her slender hips and her fierce red hair was free beneath her bat ears and mask. Unlike Robin's mask, the team could clearly see her dark blue eyes… which were trained on the Boy Wonder.

"Robin!"

The Titans took cover as Batgirl ran forward and grabbed the Titans' leader.

"Uh, hi Babs… you look different." He said, it was the first thing he could stutter out. It was hard to think when a beautiful, powerful and angry half demon was glaring holes into his back.

Batgirl nodded and pulled back just enough to spin around. "When you left Gotham, I decided to upgrade my look. What do you think?" She asked, sidling back up to Robin and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Does it do something for you?"

Robin sweated nervously. He was frighteningly aware of Raven seething beside him. "Yes… it makes me uncomfortable." Robin replied.

Batgirl frowned and put some distance between the two of them. "That's not a nice thing to say Robin. I came a long way to see you. Kid Flash wanted to meet Raven and I figured I'd come with to see you."

"He met me, you saw him, now feel free to leave." Raven ground out between her teeth.

"Oh! You're that Raven girl. You and I tied for Heroine of the month. We must have something in common if they paired us together."

Beast Boy smirked. "You have no idea."

Aqualad nudged the animorph. "Be quiet. Raven might hear you."

"Babs, it's really good seeing you, but for your safety, I'd recommend taking one giant step back." Robin said.

"Why? You're not going to explode are you?" She asked, raising a slender red eyebrow.

"No, not me." Robin muttered under his breath.

"Come on Robin, why are you so fidgety? We've been apart for so long, I thought you'd be happy to see your girlfriend."

Three chairs, two windows, four computers, a lamp and a coffeepot exploded in rapid succession. Sakura put up a barrier and the Titans huddled behind it as their home became a battle ground. They never took Raven for the jealous type, but apparently Robin brought that out in people.

"You. Are. Not. His. Girlfriend." Raven spat out.

A stunned Batgirl turned to the clearly vexed Raven. "Is there a problem?" Batgirl asked.

"Babs, I think you're confused. I'm not your boyfriend."

"Yes, you are. I have tons of photographic evidence." Batgirl produced a wallet and opened it. Dozens upon dozens of photos fell out in a string nearly ten feet long. Raven watched the photos unroll. She picked up a handle and glared at a couple of the snapshots. Another computer at Celine's console exploded. Celine whimpered pitifully and Starfire patted the other redhead sympathetically.

Cyborg buffered his mouth as he leaned towards Bumble Bee. "Should I be recording this?"

Raven's eyebrow ticked. Her head spun on her shoulders as she looked back at the offending Titan. "That depends. Can you capture triumphant disdain on a camcorder?" Raven's head spun back to the correct orientation.

"Batgirl, you're not Robin's girlfriend. I'm Robin's girlfriend." Raven declared.

"No, you're not." Batgirl replied.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No." Batgirl declared.

"Yes." Raven retorted.

"Wow, their maturity has regressed to the level of me." Beast Boy said.

Raven turned to the morph. "Sakura, drop your barrier." Sakura did as told. A black energy found Beast Boy's boxers and gave him an atomic wedgie. Beast Boy whimpered in pain. Sakura put her barrier back up.

"Sakura? Is that you?"

"Uh, yeah. Hi Babs." Sakura replied. She waved nervously behind her Holy shield.

"Sakura, come out and talk to me. It's been ages." Batgirl requested.

"No thanks. If it's all the same to you, I'm just going to stay behind my barrier."

"Don't tell me the mighty Sakura Chloe is scared." Cyborg taunted.

"I don't see you leaving the barrier." Sakura retorted.

Batgirl raised an eyebrow. "Why are they afraid?"

"Uh, have you met Raven? She's… frightening."

Batgirl turned her attention to Raven, who indeed was seething were she stood. Batgirl looked between the nervous Titans and the equally nervous Robin. Her eyes fell back on Raven, the long haired girl crossed her arms over her chest as she stared down the redheaded Batgirl.

"We've got a situation on our hands it seems. It looks like our dear Boy Wonder has a problem with making decisions."

"There's no situation. I'm Robin's girlfriend." Raven retorted.

"Us throwing this back and forth isn't going to solve anything. So instead of fighting with our words, let's fight with our fists." Batgirl said, adjusting her gloves.

Robin fell over. The Titans fell over and Sakura's barrier fell. Starfire leapt forward and put a hand on Batgirl's shoulder. "I would not recommend you challenge Raven… she is most… defensive in her claims to Robin."

"I can take her." Batgirl said triumphantly.

The Titans females shook their heads in the negative. They couldn't beat Raven with super powers and a fair playing field. Batgirl didn't stand a chance with an enraged Raven.

"I guess it wasn't a happy home after all. Maybe I still have a chance with Raven." Kid Flash thought out loud.

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Have you been brainwashed or something?"³

"Enough!" Robin shouted.

When the flock of Titans froze, they could distinctly hear the Titans alarm going off. Celine jumped to her console, working around her damaged computers, and began scanning the city.

"Looks like downtown Jump is being subject to major redecoration… of the invasive and destructive kind."

"Right, we're on it. Titans Go!"

Robin leapt to his R-cycle as Cyborg and Aqualad bounded into the T-car. Batgirl's attempt to ride behind Robin was thwarted by Raven zapping the redhead. Sakura leapt behind her brother and the sibling pair raced forward as the rivals for Robin's heart glared daggers at each other.

Kid Flash was the first on the scene, dashing ahead of a speeding Blackfire, green sparrow, and Star. He skidded to a stop in the middle of the wreckage, unsure about exactly what he was seeing. Jump had been transformed from a thriving metropolitan to a historical southern plantation community. Skyscrapers were replaced with mansions and theaters. The pavement was being eaten up by a procession of southern gentlemen up heaving it and replacing it with dirt. Behind the giant procession, riding in a carriage nearly twenty feet tall appeared to be the southern debutant responsible for Jump City's trip to the Deep South. Her brown locks were strung up in ringlets of curls, tied down by a pink and white bonnet. The brown haired woman fanned herself, her wide and multiple skirts were spread around her and everything was decorated in a peach or pink color. On the side of her coach were two overlapping Ps.

Robin spun out the back wheel of the R-cycle, lining his sister and himself up with Kid Flash. "Who is that?" Kid Flash asked.

"If ya'll want to know, the gentlemanly thing to do would be to ask the lady herself." The dainty southern drawl grated their ears as the southern belle glared down at them from her carriage.

"Just who are you?"

"My name is Princess Peach and I'm here on behalf of the glorious south to restore this vulgar city to a wonderful community that I can establish my vast wealth and power."

"You can't just tear up our city!"

"I can and I will. Princess Peach gets everything she desires."

"You're no peach." Robin replied. "You're the pits."

"So you're this lame all the time, then?" Kid Flash asked.

"No time for that now. We've got to stop that cracked southern belle from wrecking the city." Sakura said.

"That might be harder than it looks." Cyborg said.

A slew of southern gentlemen, marching forward with overlapping Ps, came in swarms and swarms.

"Right. We'll handle everything on the ground. Star, Bumble Bee, get in her face!"

Bumble Bee and Starfire did as they were told soaring up and engaging a miffed Princess Peach. Bumble Bee extracted her stingers. "You may be a princess, but I'm the Queen Bee."

"You need to learn a bit of etiquette. Firstly, when addressing a lady, you should never use such a tone. Secondly, no self respecting woman would bare her midriff. It's unlady like. You both require a make over and a lesson in manners!" With a wave of her fan, Princess Peach gave them new looks. The flying Titans found themselves trapped from neck to ankles in a giant peach. Before the pair could react, gravity pulled the massive fruit bodies to the ground. With a yelp Star and Bumble Bee crashed into the uncovered below.

Sakura's hiraikotsu cut through the air, striking down soldier after soldier. She caught her weapon across her shoulder just in time to see Raven gather dozens of soldiers with her magic and hurl them into the distance. A bird-a-rang and a bat-a-rang whorled forward in the same artistry; the grappling hooks catching around the edge of the carriage. The Batman trained pair climbed the monstrosity of a coach until Robin and Batgirl stood face to face with Princess Peach.

"This is your first and last warning. Stop your attack on the city." Robin demanded.

Princess Peach giggled behind her hand.

"This isn't a game lady!" Batgirl shouted.

"Oh, but it is. I have just been so bored at home, so I came to this city to have my fun. This is a wondrous game. I have not seen sport this wonderful in years!"

Princess Peach gasped when a dark matter spread along the roof of her carriage before pulling it off. The invading southern belle stared up in horror as Raven floated above her head. Raven's cloak was down, her long hair blowing in the wind.

"You think because you're life gives you dissatisfaction that you can treat other people like this? You're nothing but a spoiled brat!"

Princess Peach gasped and fanned herself. "I am no brat. I got this power all on my own."

The debutant waved her fan, a storm of peaches bombarded Raven, Robin and Batgirl, knocking Raven from the sky and Robin and Batgirl from the carriage. Blackfire and Beast Boy caught the falling pair midair and Kid Flash dashed in a furious circle, creating a tornado that slowed Raven's fall. When Kid Flash slowed, Raven dropped into his arms. He smiled sweetly, before a southern giggle caught their attention. Her dainty fan waved out. Peaches hammered down from the sky, some the size of cars. The Titans dove to safety.

Raven pushed an overhead barrier up, protecting both herself and Kid Flash. The blue eyed hero dashed from the cover to rescue Aqualad and bring him to the safety of Raven's shield.

"Princess Peach, please stop this!" Kid Flash yelled after watching a rolling peach nearly knock down Cyborg.

"Silence!"

The Titans ran and took cover behind the nearly erected Peach Pit Saloon. Bumble Bee picked the last piece of fruit from her afro-puff. "I'm officially never eating peaches again."

Starfire rubbed her stomach, obviously nauseated. "I am the one who did the eating, but I, too, share your sentiment!"

"We need to split up to take Princess Peach down. Beast Boy, Kid Flash create a distraction. Bumble Bee, Batgirl, Sakura, and Aqualad take care of as many of those soldiers as you can. Star, Blackfire and Cyborg destroy those peaches. Raven, you and I are gonna get this royal pain out of our city."

The Titans split up. Beast Boy morphed into a cheetah and raced behind Kid Flash to get Princess Peach's attention. The two skid to a stop as Princess Peach glared down at them. They both blew raspberries.

"Princess Peach, huh? Well we've got royalty on our side too! We've got the princesses of Tameran and the queen of darkness… and… I'm the King of Beasts… Cyborg's the… uh… Duke of Devices, Robin's the Prince of Precision and Kid Flash is er… the Master Dasher!"

Kid Flash turned to the green Titan beside him. "That's the best you could do?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "I think I did pretty well considering I went off the top of my head."

"It will be off with your heads in a moment! Soldiers remove these charlatans from my sight. Their presence is an affront to the very delicacy of my nature." Princess Peach declared before waving her fan. Another rain of peaches began. Beast Boy leapfrogged to Kid Flash's shoulders before morphing into a pterodactyl and pulling him to safety.

Starfire's eyebeams ripped through the falling peaches. Cyborg's sonic shots exploded the fruit left and right. Blackfire's hands sunk into the fruit, she established a grip and used her hold to hurl the peach like a bowling ball. The rolling fruit hammered across the ground straight at Sakura and Aqualad. At the last moment the two tumbled to the side and the soldiers they had been fighting were knocked over like bowling pins. Sakura gave Blackfire a 'thumbs up' and Aqualad held up a card declaring a perfect ten.

The platform held Robin steady as he and Raven made their way back to the top of Princess Peach's carriage. Robin somersaulted forward and landed silently on the carriage behind the Princess Peach. Raven floated directly in front of Princess Peach's face, staring the brown eyed belle in the eye.

"It would be in your best interest to leave the city now. You caught me on a bad day." Raven said, her black energy flowing from her finger tips.

"From your pale complexion and unpleasant voice, it would be fittin' to assume that every day for you is a bad one. You will catch more flies with honey than vinegar, girlie."

Robin aborted his plan and leaped off the stage coach. There was no way he was going to be anywhere near the reprimands for that comment. Starfire caught the fleeing Titan and the two watched the unfolding showdown.

Raven's eyebrow ticked. "Who are you and why are you so dumb?"

"Why I never! I am Princess Peach!"

"No, you're history. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

The Princess Peach's fan was torn to shreds under the onslaught of Raven's magic, as was her stage coach. The southern soldiers disappeared into a puff of smoke, revealing that they were merely peaches. Beast Boy picked one up and stared it down.

"If we eat them, is that cannibalism?" He asked.

"How about we get rid of them and never find out?" Cyborg asked.

Raven floated to the ground, an enraged Princess Peach trapped in a spindle of Raven's power. Batgirl balked from her position beside Robin. "That's what I'm competing against?" She asked.

Robin shook his head in the negative. "It's no competition at all. That's my girl." He approached Raven just before she touched the ground and caught her by the hips. Her arms dropped around his shoulders as he hugged her to him. Starfire took Princess Peach to the authorities and the other Titans gathered around Robin and Raven.

"So, thanks for your help with handling Princess Peach." Cyborg said to Batgirl and Kid Flash.

"Glad to help. And sorry about the confusion: didn't mean to cause any turbulence." Kid Flash replied. The master dasher sighed and turned his attention away from Raven to Sakura. "Since my prospects are shot with Raven, how about I get to know you better?"

Before Sakura could turn him down, a knockout arrow knocked him down. Sakura turned excitedly and met Speedy's trained determination with a smile. "Speedy! You're back!" Sakura hugged and kissed her boyfriend.

"I'm a little late. Looks the party started and ended without me."

"You always show up for the important parts." Robin said.

Kid Flash pulled himself up and dashed to the side of his partner. Batgirl stood with her arms crossed. Robin kept one arm around Raven's waist as the other reached behind his back. Beast Boy slunk to stand between Batgirl and Kid Flash, dropping his arms over each of their shoulders. "This is the part where Robin makes you honorary Titans."

Ruined presentation aside, Robin was glad to present the pair with Titans' communicators. Kid Flash took his. Batgirl didn't.

"Thanks but no thanks. It might be best if we stay clear of each other for a while. Until you get things sorted out." With that she turned and walked and unleashed a grappling bat-a-rang. It latched onto a building and the teen fighter swung from their sights.

"Bye Babs." Sakura waved.

Robin watched her go before turning back to Raven. "There's nothing to sort out. You know that right?" He asked her.

Raven nodded. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was being emotional."

"No, you were being you. Honest, beautiful you."

Kid Flash rubbed his jaw thoughtfully before an idea struck him and he snapped his red glove clad fingers. "I get it now. You're a talker, that's how you get the girls. Your smooth side more than makes up for lame side."

"Kid Flash, beat it."

"Done." With that the master dasher took off in the same direction as Batgirl, back towards Gotham. Robin watched the teen flirt for a few seconds before he was out of range. "Well, that was an interesting day."

"The day isn't over." Raven replied.

"Is there anything else to even do today?"

"I can think of one thing." Raven stated. Robin raised an eyebrow and Raven took his hand. "You and I are going to prove to any non-believer that I'm yours and you're all mine."

Robin gulped. "That being?"

"You and I… are going to… go to the arcade and get photographic evidence."

Raven dragged Robin off and the rest of the Titans sighed. Aqualad turned to Blackfire and the rest of the group. "Man, I hope I never have to go through anything like that."º

…

Washu leered, pushing his own energy into the cave of Segii. The grey washed over the white, dissipating the amplification energy that had flooded the arena. The air cleared of all energy, Washu's energy retreating. In the air, Dischord floated, her eyes looked to the left, then to the right and saw what Slade saw.

Nothing.

The Titans had escaped.

The remaining dust cleared with Dischord's work. The gifted aeromorph, product of the same mad creation as Schala tu Akane, released the wind gently to lower herself to the floor. Terra checked over the girl, making sure the attack from the redheaded genius, the redheaded genius who should have been dead, hadn't hurt her daughter.

Slade rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "That Celine is turning out to be quite the challenge indeed. And to think, we almost destroyed her."

Terra snorted. "She's going to wish she was never born."

"The human girl is not what concerns me… whether or not she lives or dies now or after Trigon is free does not matter." Washu replied.

"You're only concerned with Raven and her daughter."

"Not entirely true. They do serve the most important roles... Their birth names, in the language of Azarath are Schala and Lethe. Those names are derivatives of Scalhala and Ethen which mean 'promise' and 'infinite'."

"As fascinating as that is, there's nothing infinite about either of them and the only promise I'm concerned with is the one I made to annihilate the Titans."

"The name Robin is derived from Roleinen⁴ which means 'power'. The combination of Robin and Raven would produce an 'infinite power'. Perhaps a Transient ceremony between the two could fuel the war games of Doomgaze indefinitely." Washu posited.

"Whatever they make would never be as strong as Dischord. And there won't be anything left of Raven or Nightwing when I'm done with them." Terra leered.

"You know the coordinates of the Yiken Stone. They will no doubt be headed to it in some fruitless attempt to reverse Schala's destiny. Have Dischord there to show them the error of their ways."

"And where will you be?" Slade asked.

"Contemplating the possibilities of 'infinite power'." Washu vanished.

Slade continued to rub his chin as he thought again about what he saw in the Titan genius that Terra had assured him was dead. Of course, with the Titans, death was never a guarantee. They proved unerringly resistant to destruction.

"Brother Blood had told me about his precious Celine and from the information you gathered, it appears that she's everything Blood raved about. To think, for years I missed the opportunity to exploit her genius."

Terra flickered hair out of her face. "Is that what you do? You make apprentices out of anyone who fascinates you?"

"No, many things fascinate me. However, my apprentices **intrigue** me. It's a very different sensation."

"How are you going to feel when I personally tear her apart? You know she has it coming. Especially after she tried to hurt my daughter."

Slade shifted his gaze from Terra, to Dischord, then towards the tunnel that the Titans had escaped through. "I don't doubt for a moment that under different circumstances you might prove to be a fit mother. However, in this particular case---"

The earth rose and shook in a fierce jagged formation. "Don't start with me."

Slade leapt from danger, landing in the one place that was safe: right next to Dischord. The earth calmed, but Terra did not. Her teeth were bared as she watched Slade place a hand under Dischord's chin and turn her into profile.

"You surprise me Terra. You really do. That is something that---"

"Even your precious 'Robin' couldn't do?"

Slade continued to stare into the brown and gold eyes of Dischord Nostra. "I never made a comparison between my first apprentice and my second, but if you wish… You two were nothing alike except that you both failed. 'Robin' failed because of his friends. You failed because of you. You haven't a loyal bone in your body. Not even to her."

"Don't you dare!"

"Dare what, fair geomancer? To acknowledge the truth? To remind you of the terrible things you've done?"

Terra stepped forward, pointing a righteous finger at Slade. "I have enough of the Titans' hypocrisy to deal with, Slade. I don't need yours."

Slade rubbed his chin, dropping his hold on Dischord's emotionless face. "Indeed we both have children with remarkable powers, but unlike you, I never used mine."

Terra was not impressed. "Are you telling me that somewhere in that mass of ugliness that you've developed a heart?"

Slade did his best not to laugh. "Hardly. If you or your daughter lives or dies, it won't matter to me."

Terra sneered before taking a swing at Slade. The cyclopic villain evaded easily.

"I would be careful if I were you Slade. I destroyed you once and I can do it again and I'm sure Washu wouldn't mind a bit." Terra's blue eyes hardened. "Maybe I should get rid of you. You don't serve a purpose anymore. Washu's gotten all he needs out of you. He probably doesn't have any use for you."

"He doesn't. But Trigon does… and technically so do you."

"What?"

"You need me alive Terra. You've always needed me. Before it was to train you, now it's to protect you. I'm the thing that stands between you and oblivion."

"Have you finally gone mad? I don't need you."

"I shudder to think how many times you'll have to eat those words, my dear girl. You desperately need me. I'm what keeps Washu from killing you. Do you believe yourself so valuable to be above the wicked whims of a demon henchman? You are sorely mistaken. Washu doesn't need you to control Dischord. Despite what you think, she already serves Washu."

"Shut up."

"Washu has already demonstrated the capacity to kill and replace both you and Dischord. He can replace Dischord with Raven and Nightwing's child: if he makes one."

"I'm not buying it."

"I'm also not selling anything. You never believe me Terra, though, between us, I have been nothing but honest."

"Why do you want me alive?" Terra asked.

"I must admit that your particular psychosis fascinates me: your insanity, your recklessness, your total disregard for consequence."

The flying boulder would have crushed him if he hadn't seen it coming a mile away. Slade purged his pyrotechnic abilities and smashed through the stone as if it were nothing. The charred flakes of earth scattered to the ground, some flickers of fire shifted through the air. He could see through the flashes of flames that Terra's anger was not calmed. Terra was infuriated with his hypocrisy.

Slade did the thing that Terra hated the most and turned his back to her as he walked away. She hated him; she hated him for everything he was. And she loved him and wanted to understand every bit of genius in his grasp. She had become like him and indeed she was everything that he accused her of being: insane, reckless and in disregard for the possible consequences for everything she had ever done.

What he was wrong about was the magnitude. She was only partially insane, she knew that for a fact. Her degree of recklessness fluctuated; when she was younger she could blame it on the perils of youth. But she was in her twenties and her recklessness was totally under her control. And she did not possess a total disregard for consequence. She was much more aware of consequence than she was of her psychosis. That was what drove her mind state: that was what made her create.

Terra had born Choris gently in a room by herself. She was not going to let her child be handled by monsters so early in life: not before she instilled in her all the wonderful elements of her birth: what it would mean to Robin, to Raven and to Terra. The last in that list frightened Terra the most. Even though she had been created from a dark part in her psychosis, Terra still loved Choris Nostra. If Washu thought he could replace Dischord, he had another thing coming.

Terra stared at the profile of the warrior she had created. Dischord stood perfectly still, in that way Robin always did. In Robin it irritated her, in Dischord it was strong. Dischord was strong and so was she. "I'll destroy everything that hurts my child." Terra knew immediately the first person who had to end.

Raven.

Terra smirked. It was a good thing that that was already at the top of the list.

…

ºThey were at the last battle and they were sweating, bruised and determined. They both needed to be the best and they both would do whatever it took to take the other down. Jinx had already eliminated Gizmo, Bumble Bee and Private Hive. Her opponent had taken care of Mammoth, Kid Wykkyd and See-more, easily. But what came next wouldn't be easy.

The spectators were mostly divided evenly. Those that had their butts handed to them by Jinx were cheering for Red Hawk. Red Hawk's victims laid loyalty to Jinx. Except for Bumble Bee and Gizmo, whose loyalty was unshakable. For a nasty boy, Gizmo was not a traitor. But Bumble Bee was: she was the best kind of traitor. Both Bumble Bee and Gizmo ran the battle arena, keeping score in the final fight that would determine the new Headmaster's next top pupil.

Jinx's shoulder was injured, her lip was cut and there was a good chance she was going to loose the tooth in the back of her mouth. Red Hawk's back throbbed, her right cheek was bruised to match her eye makeup and Jinx had proven to be immune to her poison powder. Jinx's martial arts had evened out Red Hawk's Ori-daga, but wasn't strong enough to best her runes. Red Hawk was fierce, but Jinx was infinitely more nimble. The two were even, as even as the fight could get. The next one to land a blow could win the attentions of Brother Blood.

An energy bolt lashed out. Red Hawk evaded with a back flip that positioned her feet against the wall. She reached under her leather guard and pulled free her exploding beads, her eyes trained on the mad dash of Jinx.

"You might as well give up." Jinx hissed. "You're never going to win."

"Yeah? And you run funny." Red Hawk threw her beads, the fierce brown eyed fighter smirked as the up kick of dirt blinded Jinx. Red Hawk set her feet and catapulted forward, her sword pulled back as her body cut through the smoke.

The academy would gasp in awe. They hadn't seen the hit, but their heard it. The sound of it cleared all the smoke from the arena. Red Hawk landed in a crouch. Jinx staggered forward by one step holding her arm. Jinx's mouth trembled. Behind her Red Hawk didn't make a sound. Jinx took one breath; two; the third one rocking her core. She collapsed to her side, but not before Red Hawk collapsed face first.

Bumble Bee bit her lip before pressing the match call button, the fight falling in Jinx's favor. "Told ya Jinx would kick Red Hawk's can."

"Congratulations. I owe you a soda. Now beat it." Bumble Bee replied. Bumble Bee stood by herself and watched as the Headmaster approached Jinx and Red Hawk as they pulled themselves off the floor. He clapped as they struggled to their feet.

"My, my, my, that was an excellent display of your skills. I must say, you two are worthy of being my top two students."

"Thank you, Brother Blood."

"No, don't thank me. It is I who should be thanking you. I never anticipated such marvelous specimens. Your abilities have inspired me."

"Glad to be able to serve you, Headmaster."

"Enough with the formalities. I'd like to converse with you both, eh, separately if you don't mind."

"As you wish, Headmaster."

"Oh, I do so wish. I will start with Red Hawk. Jinx return to your scheduled studies, I shall summon you later."

Jinx's eyes flashed red before the hex artist followed his command. Red Hawk followed behind Brother Blood. The headmaster's chambers were impressive. The volume of books at his disposal would have impressed Red Hawk if she was someone else, but the redheaded fighter remained impassive as they traveled into the furthest recesses of Brother Blood's abode.

"I must say I am very impressed with your progress Red Hawk. You have only been in my academy for a number of weeks and already you've climbed to second in your class."

Red Hawk nodded. "What's there to say? I'm the best."

"Not the best, not quite. I am worried about you my Red Hawk." Brother Blood stated. He paced cleanly around the teenage fighter. Red Hawk watching him only by pivoting her neck. Her dark red hair fell into her vision.

"What's there to be worried about? I can't promise not to embarrass the rest of your students. But I'll do my best to be sweet while I do it." Red Hawk's smiled tugged up the right side of her face. The gleam in her brown eyes was absolutely devilish.

"I'm not concerned for my other students I'm worried about, Celine."

Red Hawk balked, but recovered as quickly as she could. "What was that? I think you have me confused without someone else. My birth name is Precis Anderson. But I prefer you call me Red Hawk… It's so much cooler."

"Ah, yes. Precis Anderson, the fictitious, red-haired engineer from the Chronicles of Asoalris. That was a marvelous read wasn't it Celine? I'm sure it played to all your sensibilities."

Red Hawk drew her sword.

"No need to get testy, my dear Armed Guardsman. I'm not angry. At least, not very. I'm impressed first that you have the capacity to infiltrate my school, but from what I understand, you're very smart."

Red Hawk turned her body to watch every move from Brother Blood. Her makeup was waterproof, otherwise her sweat would have washed the powder into her eyes. The very last thing she needed was to be blinded, she was already caught out.

"You're smart, but not intelligent. There is a difference. You, Celine, are smart: you infiltrated my school, you rose through my ranks at an alarming speed and got as close to me as you had hoped. Very smart indeed, but not intelligent. My superior intellect allowed me to see through your scheme. I've seen the outline of your plan and I know every particular weakness designed into your suit, should your plan fire against you. But before you employ exploding beads, please satisfy my curiosity. Who is he?"

"He?"

"Yes, he. Your clever tricks have blocked some of your memories from me, but something resonates rather brilliantly in your memory sectors. He's a man and he's also a machine. He's absolutely beautiful. I must study him. You will help me won't you? To find this cybernetic marvel?"

"Never." She spit forward her poison powder. The surprised headmaster turned his head away and Celine fled for her life. She'd make communications with Bumble Bee to be careful. It was her last transmission from inside the HIVE academy. That left Bumble Bee to do all the work.º

…

The previous manifest of Arsenal had been the one to stitch up the open wound on Celine's forehead; he also set the broken bone in Bumble Bee's right foot. He had more experience in the requirements of body repair than most young doctors. He had been taught and learned quite a bit from empirical experience and it was more than enough for him help his friends. Once he had aspirations to being a medical practitioner, a surgeon, a doctor who helped those who were hurt; whether from accidents, their own negligence or the cruelty of others.

He could repair a body, but the mind, like the spirit, was much more challenging.

He had done well enough to cure the pain in his history and with Sakura, things had become easier. Things always became easier when those you love were near.

No, that wasn't true and it strung Arsenal to have to admit it. Almost every person that Arsenal loved was running with him right at that moment and what they were running to would be the most painful thing they'd ever encounter: no matter what happened, someone was going to be hurt.

Arsenal hoped that it wasn't one of their guys.

Akane and Raven kept the pace, running ahead of the team. Star, Bumble Bee, Blackfire, D'ucel and Beast King choose flight, the Tameranian energy lighting some of the dark corners they were traveling through. Nightwing and Jinx ran side by side with Raven and Akane. Sakura, Celine, Tempest and Arsenal followed loosely behind them and Cyborg brought up the rear. It was paranoia and it was unnecessary, Cyborg knew as well as the rest of them that the kind of backdoor attacks the Syndicate pulled weren't those that blinded sided them physically.

The infinite mark of Trigon was starting to burn her. It was the first time Akane had ever felt sensation in the symbols. She knew it had partly to do with her heritage and partly due to the Yiken Stone being so very close. Akane knew something of the truth and consequence of their going to the Yiken Stone, regardless of the order in which they did it. There was a chance that she would fail and that Trigon would not be sealed forever. There was a chance they were heading for a trap, there was a chance that Dischord would beat Akane and there was a chance that everything that Akane wanted to fight for would fall.

But Akane knew that chance wasn't going to stop her from trying. Just like her mother. Lethe tu Raven believed that she could be a good person despite everything written about her in those scrolls in Azar Sabrah's library. Schala tu Akane believed the same thing. She had a nearly unmatchable wealth of power and she would use it to do her best to protect everything that mattered to her.

Akane was right. She would encounter Dischord Nostra without the aid of Washu. What she didn't know was where.

The gust of wind was powerful, just strong enough to stop their forward motion. It wasn't as if the team had intended to travel much further. Behind the shoulders of Terra and Dischord Nostra was the Yiken Stone.

The green and silver stone resonated dark power. The magnitude of that power echoed in the air, repeating itself like ripples through water. The power was red and gross and it reacted with Raven's blood.

"We figured it would be easier to meet you cowards here so after we crush your pathetic hopes of victory we can get to the end of the world immediately."

Celine readied her Firefly, Cyborg's cannon was locked and ready. The righteous fury of three Tameranians and the electric charged stingers of Bumble Bee all pointed downward at Terra. The geomancer rolled her eyes. "You guys keep putting up a front like you're actually a threat. Don't worry, I'll get to you. Right now, I just want Raven's little girl."

Raven's fingers clenched at her side. Nightwing glared at Terra, his attention shifted back and forth between Terra and the girl who by rights should be beside him, fighting with him, with the rest of her family.

"I will go with you." Akane said.

The Titans froze in shock as Akane stepped forward out of their range. Before they could charge forward, a gold barrier erected around them, swinging from one cave wall to the other.

"Akane!"

"What are you doing?"

"Stop!"

Akane walked forward, holding her hands behind her back. Terra snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "That was easier than I thought. It must be all the cowardice in your blood."

"You are an awful person, that you are. But I will make a deal with a dishonorable woman, for the sake of an innocent girl's life."

"What are you babbling about?"

"I will make you a deal. As you wish, I will fight Dischord. If I am able to defeat her, you will release all claims to her and allow her to live peaceably with my family and you will never bother us again. If I cannot defeat Dischord, I will submit to your master's wish and be the portal for Trigon with no resistance, that I will."

"Akane!"

"No!"

"You can't!"

Terra rolled her eyes. "First of all, little girl, I don't have a master. That I don't." Terra mocked. Akane said nothing, shifting her purple eyes to the side. "Second of all, you never had a choice in becoming Trigon's portal. You can resist all you want, but it all ends up as the same thing. But if you want to suffer before you die, I'm more than glad to supply the services of my daughter."

"Then it is a deal?"

Terra extended a hand for a binding handshake. Akane was not stupid, she didn't take it. "You will not interfere. This match will be fair, with her powers versus mine."

"Whatever, but before you seal your fate, you should wave bye-bye to mommy and your worthless Titans."

Akane turned her head to look over her shoulders. She gazed at each one of them behind the flair of her powers. "There is no need to say goodbye." Akane waved her hand from left to right and another golden barrier was erected, trapping Terra Nostra away from Dischord.

"What do you think you're doing?" Terra yelled from behind the barrier.

"I am no fool, that I am not. You will not interfere, by my own power. Dischord, if you are ready, let us do battle."

Both girls moved to the center of the remaining cave layout. Behind Dischord's back, Terra banged furiously on the demon guard trapping her in. Behind Akane's back, the Titans were trying in vain to overcome Akane's energy. Jinx's ability to faze was retarded by the superiority of Akane's power. Sonic shots were absorbed, arrows and starbolts were reflected. Raven's power, Nightwing's fight, Beast King's rams, nothing could get through.

Sakura sat down where she was; her body in lotus position as she stared through the barrier to the two Transient daughters.

"Sakura! Why aren't you helping?"

"I am helping. I'm putting my faith in that girl. I don't know her from Eve, but if she's anything like her parents, she's someone to believe in. We all need to."

"Maybe you can be relaxed, but those are our children out there!" Raven shouted.

"I know that. I know and you should be scared, you have every right to be. She's as worried for you as you are for her. That's why we're behind this barrier and why she's out there. She's using some of the energy she's going to need to rescue Choris on us and banging on this guard isn't going to give her anymore strength."

Nightwing looked down at his hands. Blackfire stopped midstrike. Arsenal dropped his arrow and the charge of green ram ceased. All the pounding on the barrier stopped. "I've slept the last five years of my life and I want nothing more than to stand out there and rip Terra apart for what's she done… but this is Akane's fight first. You know that."

Raven covered her mouth to keep her sob silent. Nightwing grabbed her and held her tight. The other Titans accepted what was undeniable. Everything rested in the hands of a little girl whose written destiny was to end the world.

Arsenal sat down beside Sakura. Celine and Beast King knelt on the ground. Tempest hugged Blackfire gently and D'ucel gently lowered Starfire from the air to the ground to stand beside their friends. They stood together, standing behind Akane as she prepared to do what her prophecy proclaimed: end the world they knew.

…

º "It's only a little bit further. Come on." Beast Boy called.

The green Titan leapt and bounded through the forest litter. His body could have easily become a fox to bound through the obstacles with ease, but he wanted to experience every bit of this with everything that was truly his: his green eyes, his two hands, his ten toes.

"Wait! Wait! You're going too fast. Wait for me Beast Boy!" Terra yelled, springing behind him in her dark boots. If she had known she was going to be hiking through the woods near dusk, she wouldn't have worn spandex shorts and a long sleeved black shirt. Her boots crunched brittle leaves as she all but chased the animorph through the thicket.

She lost sight of him for a few minutes as she ducked under low branches and leapt over poison oak. She found his silhouette and ran towards it. She cleared the woods and skid to a stop as she saw what he saw.

On the outskirts of the city was a forest on the hill overlooking all of Jump. In the distance was Titans' Tower and even further was the water.

The blue eyed geomorph scanned the scene before her. "Everything looks so peaceful, so---"

"Beautiful?" Beast Boy finished.

"Yeah, it's all beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Beast Boy, why did you bring me out here?"

"I wanted you to see it… and I wanted to be alone with you for a little while."

"Alone? Do you think that's such a good idea?" Terra asked nervously.

"I don't see the harm, besides I just want to talk to you." The green Titan sat down on the beginning slope of the hill, his heels digging into the soft, wet grass. His fingers swept against the grass blades before he picked one out. Terra sat down beside him and watched him fold it over and put it to his lips. It made a sharp and noisy whistle but it fit in with what they were seeing.

"How did you do that?" Terra asked.

"You've never done this?"

Terra shook her head in the negative. Beast Boy shook his head before he pressed the leaf blade against his lips again and blew. "Robin showed me how to do this. You just take a blade of grass and fold it over and it becomes a whistle."

Terra looked around her seat and found a long blade, just like Beast Boy's, and folded it, just like Beast Boy's. When she put it to her lips it made a loud and nosy whistle.

"See, it wasn't so hard."

"I never said it was. I just never did it before."

"Right."

Terra looked over at the younger Titan. She had found out that Beast Boy was three months younger than her and apparently the prospects of an older woman inspired him; which meant that he tried to act as mature as he could around her. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"When did Robin teach you to do that?"

"It was a long time ago. It was something to do with getting to know everyone better. We had this powwow and Robin wanted us all to show each other something that we thought was unique. Robin made his grass whistle: Starfire shared a Tameranian poem that went on for hours: Raven drew this really weird sign in the dirt and when we touched it, we all felt this really calm feeling, like we were all some place safe and warm."

"Like your own beds at home?"

"Yeah, something like that. Cyborg showed us an old coin that he kept around for good luck."

"What did you show them Beast Boy?" Terra asked.

"I showed them that their faces and hands were exactly the same size."

"Really? They are?" Terra raised her spread palm to her face and when she was close, Beast Boy slapped the back of her hand, making her palm collide with her nose. Beast Boy laughed hysterically at Terra's miffed expression.

"Hahahahaha! You fell for it! That's like the oldest one in the book!"

"Beast Boy!" Terra fumed for a few more seconds as Beast Boy continued to laugh, before deciding that it actually was funny that she could fall for that.

"Wow, that was good. Thanks, Terra, I so needed that."

"Glad to be of help."

Beast Boy smiled and nodded. He pulled his knees to his chest as he turned his focus back to the setting sun.

"This is nice." Terra said, folding her legs beneath her. Beast Boy nodded in agreement. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked.

"I didn't actually want to talk… I just wanted to tell you something."

"Then tell me." Terra replied.

"When you left… before, you did it because you thought I told Robin your secret. I just wanted to tell you that that wasn't what happened. I never told anyone."

"I know Beast Boy."

"You know? Then why did you run away?" Beast Boy asked.

Terra hesitated for a few seconds. "Because Robin was right. I did need practice. I needed to be better than what I was before."

"You could have become better with us."

"But I had to do it on my own… except… I had help."

"Help? From who?"

"From… from… Geoforce."

"Geoforce?"

"Yeah, Geoforce. They're these guys I used to run with, they can move the earth too. We had a falling out years ago, but I realized I needed to put those things in the past and do what it took to get control of my powers."

Beast Boy accepted her explanation. "Well, in any case, I'm just really glad you're back."

"Yeah and I think I'll be here for a good long time… but enough about me, let's talk about you."

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Beast Boy asked.

"Everything."º

…

For a fight of epic proportions, it started rather slowly. Dischord's feet moved in a winding side step, her hands rigid in the ready stance of her bone aikido style. Akane's purple eyes watched her opponent, totally unsure of the best course of action. When Dischord shot forward, her only course of action became defense. The first blow was struck and Akane was the receiver. Dischord's heel planted solidly into her chest, the black haired Transient daughter staggered backwards, but didn't fall over. Dischord's heel ground down on Akane's foot before backhanding her. The black haired fighter staggered and was left open for a double palm thrust that came at her from the side.

Akane pivoted on her hands and sprung forward, her drop kick slamming into Dischord's shoulder. Dischord ducked under Akane's spin kick. Her weight dropped to her elbow as the wind manipulator spun on the ground, her sweep kick taking out Akane's legs. When the purple eyed girl fell, Dischord wrenched her ankle, moving to grip her victim in an ankle lock that could shatter the important bone. Akane found a small opening and managed to thrust her palm into Dischord's forehead, knocking the girl away.

Akane leapt to her feet as the wind picked up to lift Dischord from an immediate attack. Akane shielded her eyes as she looked up to watch the aeromorph move. She had felt it, when her palm connected with the slave crown, her power responded to it. It stung through her blood the way Trigon's blood did. But this was different. It didn't burn, it didn't call her, the way Trigon's power called to the Yiken Stone. This power, the power locking away Choris' strength of will, was telling her to turn back, to run away.

_That is the one thing I will not do, that I will not. _

Akane took flight and ignored the heed in her blood.

…

º "She'll be talking soon." Arella said.

Raven continued to feed her daughter her cereal. The warm oatmeal was flavored just a bit with brown sugar and sweet milk, just the way Akane liked it. The purpled eyed infant grabbed the spoon impatiently and directed it to her mouth. Akane had enough motor skills to feed herself. She had for sometime, but something about feeding the small girl gave Raven some sense of womanhood. When she was in her body, Akane had depended on Raven totally for food; outside her body, Akane was beginning to have no such need. But that need to provide was still active in Raven, her body could compensate for the complications and speed of a Transient birth, but it could not calm the lingering maternal instincts to provide, nourish and defend.

"How soon do you think?" Raven asked.

"The way she's babbling, some time today."

"So soon?" Raven fed Akane another spoonful.

"Have you chosen a hope word?"

"Hope word?" Raven asked.

"The word you hope your child says first."

"No, I didn't know."

"It's a silly tradition, but mothers have been doing it for ages."

"What was your hope word?" Raven asked.

"Momma."

"Did I say it?"

"No. You actually cursed as your first word." Arella replied.

"I did not." Raven retorted, scrapping the bottom of Akane's bowl to get the last of the cereal for her baby girl.

"You did. You said Hell."

Raven laughed and bumped the spoon into Akane's nose. The girl looked up at her and Raven tried to look apologetic as she stifled laughter. Akane took the last bite and chewed it slowly, watching her mother move to get a new wash cloth to clean her hands and face.

"Are you sure I wasn't saying hello or help?" Raven asked.

"No, I was there and I remember it very well. You said Hell and you said it rather proudly."

Raven wiped Akane clean before taking her to lay down for her nap. Arella followed close behind her and watched her daughter lay her daughter down to sleep. Raven kissed Akane on her forehead. "Love you." She whispered before tucking her in.

"Pick one."

"A hope word?" Raven asked. "Alright, I want her first word to be mommy."

Akane burped before turning her head to sleep. Arella and Raven left the curly haired girl to rest, returning to the kitchen to clean up from lunch. Arella sat down and finished her sandwich as Raven cleared the table and cleaned out Akane's bowl.

"It doesn't get easier." Arella said from behind the table.

"What?"

"The uneasiness that you're feeling. It doesn't get any easier the older your children get. You're twenty years old and I feel the same way about you I did when you were twenty minutes old. That feeling, that all you want to do is protect them, never goes away."

"I don't want it to. It makes me uneasy to think about it, but what it means makes me happy. She makes me happy." Raven replied.

"And don't ever doubt for a moment that you make her happy."

Akane's first word was "love", followed by "mommy".º

…

The wind came so fast, Akane had a hard time moving. Dischord had catapulted herself into the air, her wind currents keeping her in the air and her wind gusts keeping Akane towards the ground.

Akane's body twisted, shifting between updrafts and down currents to sneak through Dischord's unique powers. Akane had heard of elementals before and read about the skills of morphs, but an aeromorph was something she had never conceived before. Dischord had the power of a very valuable body, one that controlled the life of uncountable entities. Creatures could survive without food for weeks, without water for days, but without air, only minutes. Fires could be guarded against, the earth could be stabilized, but the destruction of the wind could not be over come easily.

That power, the power that Dischord Nostra wielded, was a product of the same dark magic Akane herself was bred from. Her own powers were a combination of her mother's and Laseri tu Tetris', the father she could never meet. Her powers weren't a perfect union, just as she herself wasn't a carbon collage of the strengths of her parents. Akane was her own person and she would do all it would take to give Choris the opportunity to be her own as well. Dischord Nostra was no more Terra than Nightwing. She had their features, she had a combination of their powers: his will, her anger, but she was still the product of the evil that Akane was made from. And that meant she deserved a chance.

Dischord evaded Akane's punch, grabbing the extended arm and using it as a lever to deliver a spider knee into her opponent's stomach. Akane hunched over and put her in position for Dischord's headlock, the grip was the first of many in a string that would end with a broken neck. Akane elbowed Dischord sharply, the relaxed hold allowed Akane to swing free and twist around the aeromorph, planting both her boots into the small of her back. Dischord crashed straight down.

…

ºHis hand turned her palm over. His masked eyes examined her skin. His index finger pushed at the fabric of her glove. He had been doing this for nearly an hour, switching back and forth between both hands.

"Robin, this is an Earth custom? You exam the hand of a new friend as a welcome?" Starfire asked.

"Not exactly Starfire. I'm just curious."

"Curious? I am an oddity?" Starfire asked, nervous suddenly by Robin's scrutiny.

"Curious doesn't automatically imply odd, Star. I'm actually fascinated with your powers."

"On Tameran, my abilities are not uncommon. All people are born with the ability to express their energy and the joy of life allows the joy of flight."

"On Earth, only a select few can fly and even fewer have powers like yours." Robin replied.

Starfire generated her starbolt and held it above her fingers. "My powers come from the sun. My people harness solar energy to power our emotions."

Robin braved touching the starbolt and was stung accordingly. "It doesn't hurt you or take apart of your energy?"

"I have a vast reserve of energy. I absorb power simply by being in sunlight. It is why I rise so early, to collect energy. It provides boundless confidence and faith in my abilities."

"That's amazing."

"You have boundless confidence and faith as well." Starfire replied.

"It's different and it's hardly boundless. I'm the only one amongst us without powers. I don't have gifts the way you do… but you all trusted me to be your leader."

"It was no decision to make. Even before I joined the Titans, I could see your abilities and our friends' confidence in you."

"I've never been a leader before."

"And we have never been on a team such as this." Star replied gently.

"Beast Boy has."

"Are you worried about impressing Beast Boy?" Starfire's eyebrow twitched. There was something in this situation that she did not fully comprehend.

Robin let Starfire's hand go and turned to the sky. The sun was beginning to set over the water surrounding Titans' Tower. Months ago Robin's connections at the AGU-JL had helped build the prototype for the Titans' headquarters. When he, Raven and Cyborg moved in, Cyborg had a field day and Raven decided that the Titans simply needed more people. That's where Beast Boy had come in, but the dynamic still wasn't perfect. Then Starfire came and the team was, for the most part, complete.

But something was still off. The dynamics were still being established. Cyborg and Beast Boy had hit if off immediately. He and Raven had an understanding and there was something growing between himself and Starfire. His friendships, his team, his future, all of them were tied into their own gifts and abilities; and as their leader, it was his job, his responsibility, to make them the best team they could be.

It was hard (Raven), it was trying (Cyborg and Beast Boy), but it had to work.

"I'm not trying to impress anyone Starfire. I'm just trying to get this to work."

"You work very hard to do so."

"I need to work smarter, not harder. That's the difference between five teenagers and a team of heroes."

She did not fully understand, but she understood enough. She turned her hand to the night sky and shot starbolts to give light where there were no stars. º

…

Dischord slammed back first into the cave floor. Akane followed the attack with a drill kick, both feet planting into the aeromorph's breadbasket. The ground crackled around Dischord's body. Akane's knees bent as her feet drilled into Dischord's middle. To the three parents of the girls fighting, every blow was punishment. They could see in slow motion how the stones that were replaced with the force of the blow, rising as Akane's body lowered and moved forward. Akane's hand shot forward and grabbed the slave crown. Her fingers clenched around it. She was punished for the diversion of attention. The tunnel of wind hurled her from Dischord's body. She sailed through the air before she slammed into a wall, her body bouncing of it, her gift of flight keeping her from plummeting into the ground.

Akane's purple eyes opened wide when Dischord charged forward, her boot slamming straight into her body, knocking her back into the wall. The onslaught continued. Dischord back somersaulted, her heels clipping Akane's chin. Two backhand slaps followed a palm led uppercut. The aeromorph spun and caught Akane's neck with the firm grip of her right hand.

Terra crossed her arms over her chest. The fight was taking longer than she had expected it to, but Dischord was winning. _Akane's just like Raven and Dischord's just like me… better than her._

Raven's fingers pinched the skin on Nightwing's arm through his uniform. Her huge purple eyes wavered with every shot, her heart jumped with every blow, whether landed by Akane or against her. When Akane groaned in pain, Raven could feel it. When Akane's body moved sharply to pivot against a slab of stone, every time she worried that somehow Terra would be able to do what Raven could not, and interfere with the fight. She wanted Akane to win, she desperately wanted her child to be victorious. This was her fight, but Raven was her mother and she wanted her daughter to not be harmed.

And in Nightwing, the same string of emotions acted on him. When Dischord twisted her body in Creeping Snakes or Emory Cutter attacks, he gasped. When Akane retaliated with flash kicks and roundhouses, his gaze wavered. When either of them hit the ground or the cave wall and especially the one instance where Dischord's body had rebounded off the barrier that kept him out of the fight, his heartbeat shook. It drummed in a rhythm that competed with the rhythm of the fight. He wanted Akane to win, but he didn't want Dischord hurt. Only a few hours ago he realized he was a father, a real father, and it hadn't taken more than a few seconds to feel the way about her that Raven felt about Akane, but the difference between them was time. Raven had every moment Akane had been alive, Nightwing had never heard his daughter's voice.

Akane gasped in pain as Dischord pushed harder, forcing her body into the wall. She struggled to open her left eye. Dischord's brown and gold eyes weren't hard, weren't angry, vengeful or furious. She didn't have any of the emotion of battle that Akane struggled against and she also didn't have demon blood pounding beneath her skin.

Akane released a battle cry as a flux of her golden energy erupted in a half circle shell that repelled Dischord from the air. The aeromorph dropped to the ground, bouncing slightly, her chest drumming against the earth. Akane dropped from the air and landed on her knees in an exhausted crouch. Her breathing was hard, but worse than that, she felt it. She felt Trigon acting on her. The Yiken Stone echoed her energy and absorbed some. It had stolen a part of her when Akane had defended herself from Dischord. If she put out more energy, it would keep stealing.

Akane struggled to her feet. Over the rising shoulder of her opponent she could see the Titans behind her guard. Her mother was scared, Otou-sama was worried, Aunt Astarte was vexed and everyone else was in varying stages of concern. Some could hold the others and be calm, some could be held and be at peace.

None of them could be safe if she didn't win this fight.

Akane dropped her body just in time to evade Dischord's high kick. She spun low to take out her feet, but Dischord evaded in a series of back flips. Akane rolled as well, her tumbles taking her backwards. Their feet stopped spread apart with a distance less than thirty feet separating them. Ten feet behind Dischord Nostra was Terra, another ten feet behind Akane were the Titans, and forty feet to Akane's left and Dischord's right was the Yiken Stone.

Every second the stone was thieving from Akane, taking from the two barriers she had erected. She shouldn't have done it, readily provided so much energy, because Trigon was nothing if he wasn't a thief. That energy was a part of Akane, a part of her that was tied to Trigon and Trigon wanted it back. He was flexing her power, forcing her hand and the fight with Dischord would be the difference between Trigon being locked away and Akane freeing him to do what he would.

Akane couldn't do this for much longer. She needed to end this.

…

º "So every girl you meet falls in love with you?"

"Pretty much. I'm like Aqualad, but smoother."

The tapping made a beat that competed with the music.

"Dude, teach me. Teach me to be a ladies' man."

Cyborg scratched his head. His fighter faltered and received a spin kick before he got back into his rhythm. "Uh, it's not something I can teach you BB. It's just something that's a part of me."

"But there's got to be a part of me that all the little chickies will swoon for. I mean, I should have animal magnetism on my side… I guess you have actual magnetism."

"I'm going to let that slide because you obviously have a girl you want to impress and you're obviously pathetic too."

Beast Boy's ears dropped. "I'm not pathetic. I just need to work on my smoothness."

"So who's the girl?" Cyborg asked. He continued to mash buttons on the game station, the rapid tapping keeping his player in combat.

"That's not important." Beast Boy replied.

"Actually it is. I can't tell you how to handle said chicky if I don't know anything about the girl."

"It's Raven."

Cyborg's virtual fighter fell over and died.

"What?"

"I have a crush on Raven."

"Right… so this is the part where I check you into a mental hospital or you tell me this is a really poorly thought out joke."

"I'm not joking."

Cyborg put down his controller, took Beast Boy's controller away, turned off the Game Station and stared down at the animorph.

"You can't be serious."

"I can't explain it. If I knew how to explain it, I would. I have a crush on Raven."

"BB, I'm going to suggest you reevaluate your choice. Raven's…"

"Serious, creepy, dark, mysterious, emotionless? Yeah I got it."

"Uh, I was going to say 'just not into you'. And from that list you just rattled off, I think you don't know much about her."

"She doesn't let us… but that doesn't mean I don't want to. There's something about her. Something amazing and I want to find out what it is."

"You're right, she is amazing. We've all seen it. But, I think you trying to discover what that is… is just a bad idea. She's like a sister to me and you're like a brother to me… my brother and my sister should never date. Besides, I don't think she's into you. I mean she's always staring at Aqualad." Cyborg declared.

"Even though that sentence is technically correct, you're wrong. Aqualad may have the looks, but I've got something more important. Her trust."

"I'm not sure that's true." Cyborg replied.

Beast Boy's shock pushed his ears off his head. "What?"

"Nothing, except you're pretty much her least favorite person."

"Dude, that cannot be true. I know for a fact she likes me ten times better than Jinx and at least fifty times more than Gizmo."

"Notice how you just said the names of villains? Name one good guy that she likes less than you." Cyborg challenged.

Beast Boy thought for a moment and came up with nothing.

"See?" Cyborg asked.

"If that's the case I'll just have to change that! You'll see!"

Beast Boy left the common room in a mad dash to find Raven. He found her, in the worst way he could have. Beast Boy ran around a corner without looking and collided solidly with Raven. Robin had been standing next to Raven, walking with her towards the common room and got a front row seat for what ensued. Beast Boy hadn't realized just how fast he was running until something made him stop. Robin's masked eyes widened; even he wasn't fast enough to stop it. Before he could yell 'look out' the collision, and the subsequent tripping that followed, occurred. He flinched when he watched them fall. He flinched again when he saw how they landed.

Raven was on her backside. Her hands fell above her head. Beast Boy landed on his front side, his face buried in her stomach, his hands clenched her chest.

Raven's fists clenched, her eyes became very dark, very quickly. "You will let go of those immediately."

Beast Boy's nervous laughter echoed against Raven's flat stomach. In order to keep his team as a quintet and not four Titans and shreds of Beast Boy, Robin forcibly removed Beast Boy from Raven's person. Raven leapt to her feet, her dark power erupting from her hands and eyes alike.

"I am so going to get it." Beast Boy cowered.

"Yes, you are. Azarath Metrion Zin---"

A green gloved hand saved Beast Boy from immediate destruction. Robin's right hand clapped gently over Raven's mouth. The miffed princess of darkness turned a furious glare to Robin. Robin's left hand reached behind his back. His communicator rang out, alerting them to trouble. "It will have to wait. Dr. Light is making an attack downtown. Let's handle him."

Raven pulled her hood up over her head. Robin took off, the second his back was turned, Raven gave into fury and zapped Beast Boy. The animorph yelped and fell to the floor, over his head he could hear Raven fly off to join the other Titans in battle.

"That was the worst and the best thing that's ever happened to me."⁵ º

…

When she fought, no matter where her opponent was, no matter what direction her mother stood behind waiting, Akane always turned her eye to the Yiken Stone. Every clash and blow fed it, every single strike from her remarkable energy or Dischord's pushed deeper into the cracks that Trigon's rage had splintered. When Akane's body crashed not feet from the stone summit, she could see the tiny lines becoming deeper, fiercer, becoming something even more dangerous.

It spilled into her concentration. It made her susceptible to Dischord's arm wrenches, why her back flips could only clear her from danger for seconds, why her feet and knees skid loosely against the floor, why her skirt was torn, why she was sweating, why her blood was screaming for her to accept defeat.

And all those things were why Akane got up and fought. Every stinging blow, every bruise, every painful gasp of breath she fought through, because she wasn't feeling them alone.

Her aunt felt them.

The Titans felt them.

Her parents felt them.

Her opponent felt them.

Akane stared at Dischord as the aeromorph saw straight ahead.

_How could there be no target, no recognition? And if this power is made by a servant, what wealth must come from that monster's master?_

Akane wanted to move, to do more than evade, but after purging her energy once, she knew she couldn't afford to do it again. The Yiken Stone was reacting to her power, she could feel it, it was trying to steal energy to feed Trigon. He was here, somehow he was here even though his physical manifest was somewhere else. His power was close and he wanted hers. Akane knew she had to be careful, between fighting Dischord, protecting her family and sustaining her own life, her powers were being tried in a way she had never been prepared for. The desperation in the fight pulled her, creating conditions that couldn't be reproduced in training with her mother or her aunt Astarte or even with the Azar Sabrah. This was what her life was coming to… and she had to end it fast.

…

ºSpeedy had done exactly what Robin had predicted. He was the first thing Sakura saw when her eyes opened after a five year sleep. It happened so quickly, but he felt relief immediately. She didn't gently wake up, she shot up with a flare of Holy energy erupting from her body. The blast knocked him from his seat, his head slammed into a monitor. The male Titan redhead grimaced at the pain, but turned his eyes to see through the glow of silver white energy and he saw her.

"Sakura!"

"Speedy? What? Where am I?"

The agile archer leapt to his feet and rushed to her, grabbing her and kissing her fiercely.

"You're in the tower. You're safe."

"I was in the stronghold. Washu, Slade, Terra! They have Raven! They're going to do something awful to her! We have to save her!" Sakura tried to leap from her bed, but Speedy grabbed her and kept her where she was.

"If you meant Raven becoming a mother, it already happened. It happened a year ago."

Sakura's heart pumped, a slow drum of her heartbeat echoed through her body, all the way to her head. "He put me asleep for a year?"

"No, Sakura, you've been sleeping for five."

"No, that's not…It can't be…"

"It is. Five years ago we fought the syndicate. Five years ago we lost you. Do you know what happened?"

"They got me… they tried to make me a slave to them. When it didn't work… Terra… she said that Celine and my brother were dead."

"No, neither of them, but it wasn't for a lack of trying."

Sakura sighed in relief. "Where are they? Is everyone safe?"

Speedy didn't commit an answer to her second question but made to answer the first. "The others left a few hours ago to meet Raven and her daughter to stop the Slade Syndicate."

"I need to go. Take me there!"

"Not yet. Let Celine run some tests first, to make sure everything's alright. Nightwing and the others will be fine."

"Nightwing?" Her dark brow furrowed, her brown eyes locked on Speedy's face.

"Your brother. A lot of us have changed. Five years you were asleep and the world changed around us."

"You stayed by my side the whole time?"

Speedy nodded. "You think I'd quit on the best thing that's ever happened to me? You know me better than that."

"It's one of the few things I know for sure… that and the fact that I'm going to destroy Terra."

"Terra tried to kill you. All the bruising has faded. It had to be a terrible fight." Speedy replied.

"It wasn't a fight, it was an ambush. Washu's power kept me from using mine, but Terra used hers and when she was done playing Washu told me everything that was going to happen. He told me I'd wake up to have a front row seat."

"They're all heading for something fierce. If we're going to fight, we've got to be ready." Speed replied, reaching beneath his jacket to reveal a new uniform.

"My weapon and my Arsenal, I've got all that I need."º

…

There wasn't so much as a grunt from Dischord when her thrusting palms slammed into Akane's blocking forearms. Her heels clicked when they met the ground or pushed from a wall to give an attack extra speed. When her uppercuts succeeded or when a parry made Akane's fail, she didn't make a sound. Not a gasp, not a groan, no sound at all to make Akane believe that she was aware of what she was doing.

The wind of her control pushed Dischord's hair up and to the left. The lingering coils of that power pushed Akane's locks behind her back. Akane's eyes were sad, Dischord's were empty.

Akane had to believe she was wearing her down. Even if she was under control, Dischord's body had to have limits… but that wasn't to say that the Syndicate cared enough about her life not to throw it away. Whether it was confidence or disregard, this fight would continue until Akane fell or Dischord did.

Akane had tried twice unsuccessfully to break Dischord's crown. _Third time is the charm, that it is._

Dischord reacted when Akane dove forward. The Titans watched and Terra as well, as Akane unleashed a battle cry and dropped her hand back. Dischord moved her hand forward, her fingers in a formation that Jinx had seen and Cyborg had experienced once before.

Even behind the shield of Akane's power, the Titans had to block their eyes. Nightwing tried to focus his gaze, their power had clashed before, but it had never made the flurry of energy that it was now. _What is happening?_

Raven could see the barrier waver. The shimmering gold was rebounding against the energy that Akane had just put forward. Something had happened, something had happened to her daughter.

"Akane!"

…

º "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"Then there's nothing to be nervous about."

He held her hand tenderly and the black haired girl let herself be pulled gently towards the water. Her feet became wet immediately, the warm water soaking into her boots. They walked deeper still, until the water was up to her waist, her dark tress floating against the water. She looked to her companion nervously. His smile was gentle as he directed her a little deeper.

"This is as good spot as any." He put his hand behind her back, bracing the gentle swell with his open palm. "Just lie back, the same way we talked about." Her blue eyes showed her consent and she eased back, his hand a platform to guarantee she stayed afloat. The water moved to accommodate her immediately. It swept through her hair and just behind her ears. Her limbs became weightless, the water was buffering her, the same way Aqualad was.

"Blackfire, how do you feel?"

"Suspended… relaxed."

"I'm glad. I'm going to pull back my hand soon. Do you remember the signals and everything we talked about?"

Blackfire nodded. "I am ready."

"Remember, I'm right here with you." Aqualad added.

His hand pulled back and the same moment Blackfire sunk gently under the tide of the water. Her eyes closed reflexively. When they opened her blue eyes saw the expanse of sea around her. She wasn't so deep that the water was blue rather than the green it turned from the sunlight, but she could tell that if she went a little deeper, it would be the blue it looked from the very top of Titans' Tower.

She moved her body deeper through the water, pushing against the pull of the water to get where she wanted to go. Aqualad came into her vision, the aquamorph turn his head to smile at her as he sent her a message with his mind.

"Remember about breathing. When you need a breath, show a blackbolt."

Blackfire nodded. The two swam deeper and further into the water. The waves moved their dark tresses to float above them as a school of fish weaved around them. Blackfire watched them twist and turn before raising a blackbolt. The blue color glowed in contrast to the blue of the water. Aqualad swam forward and pressed his lips against hers, taking in air from the water and giving it to Blackfire through a kiss.

The pair moved, exploring the water together, feeling it move against them like a living, breathing thing. When Blackfire needed air, Aqualad gave it to her in his touch: his kiss sustaining her life, minutes at a time. Blackfire watching him move, he was so natural here. It was so obvious that he loved the water more than the land. This was his calm, it was where he was comfortable…

Blackfire didn't have such a place… except where Aqualad was.

She had grown up so quickly in the short time they had been together. She only regained her memory two weeks ago and already she felt different. What she felt for Aqualad had only intensified in the hours, minutes, days since every part of her had come back to her attention.

Blackfire could remember playing with Koriand'r; she could remember taking over Tameran; floating lost in the galaxy; looking for trouble anywhere she could find it, but not a single memory was stronger than the first time Aqualad had touched her hand. He had told her then, not to be afraid, that he wasn't going to hurt her. And he had spoken true. He never abandoned her, never gave up on her, never hurt her in any way, shape or form. He loved her and she knew that she loved him too.

She lifted a blackbolt and the aquamorph immediately moved to her side. His lips pressed against hers, but when he moved to pull back, she didn't let him. She held him tight, keeping her lips on his as the water moved around them.

The world could have stopped over their heads, the moon might have disappeared and ended all the waves, epochs could have pasted and she wouldn't have known, it wouldn't have mattered to her at all. Poets failed to grasp the beauty of a love like this. Writers could barely scratch the surface of such feelings with their pens, song masters never got it just right, the way a kiss could, the way a look could.

Aqualad's dark eyes were hazed when Blackfire pulled back. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the surface. They broke the surface tension, flipping back their black hair. He smiled at her and her blue eyes took in ever inch of his fair skin. The water floated them gracefully.

"Had enough?" Aqualad asked, shaking out his tress.

Blackfire shook her head in the negative. "Never."º

…

The pain in her chest was only bearable. She couldn't take her attention off of it for more than a few seconds, but she didn't need to concentrate for the next few moments. Her face was tight, her breathing was prorated: the air came in bursts and gasps. Dischord's attack had done exactly what it was supposed to. It struck a point in the circuit body of nerves flowing through her chest. The two fingers were lined up vertically, both the index finger and the middle pressing viciously into the nerve bodies. A fraction more force might have stopped her heart.

But Akane had stopped the attack.

Her right eye was pinched closed, but the left one could see it clear as day. That last wisp of her golden energy was fading into the air; underneath the sharp grasp of her hand was a severed fragment of Dischord's slave band. The looping ring split again behind Dischord's head, snapping the thieving crown into two more pieces and falling away to strike the ground. The sound of the metal echoed through the cave wall. Terra stared in disbelief as the two bangles rattled against the ground. Her wicked blue eyes lifted from the ground to the air where Akane floated and blocked her view of Dischord, until the aeromorph plummeted to the ground.

Akane gasped and, over the pain in her chest, dove forward and caught the Transient daughter. She groaned as she sat the blonde girl down to the cave floor. For the first time, Dischord Nostra made a noise. Her eyes blinked doeishly as she sat up under her own steam. She shook her head clear against the open palm of her left hand. She groaned.

Akane swallowed hard, trying to calm the rage beat in her blood. "You are alright now, that you are."

Choris turned her head and saw the battered girl who was propping her body. Her huge brown eyes were clear and shaking. She could feel pain in her own body, but what she saw also came from her body. "Did I hurt you?"

"Do not concern yourself. My name is Schala tu Akane."

"My birth name is Choris."

Nightwing looked forward in awe as he saw Choris' lips moving. He was too far away to hear what was said, but Akane had done it. She had done what she promised. He turned his shaking gaze to Raven who was standing beside herself in relief. Akane had done it. She had beaten and freed Choris.

The others rejoiced greatly as Akane and Choris helped each other to stand up. Sakura stood too and all the Titans lined the great wall of Akane's power. They leapt for joy, they cheered…

They all stayed locked behind Akane's barrier.

Akane's chest trembled as her heartbeat echoed over the cheers of her family and friends. She had used her energy again to help Choris and the Yiken Stone was acting, it was taking from her again. Akane turned her body to look at the green and silver stone and Choris turned as well. They could both see it. Its dark power was marking the air; the absolute darkness was fueled by Akane's demon blood and the pure strength of Choris' fight.

"It grows stronger." Choris said.

Akane nodded. The power was increasing and soon it would become something that she could not control. If she did not act, the future that she had been fighting for would never come. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. Her battle instincts told her to heal herself, but her spirit knew that she couldn't afford to use any of the power she had left. As it was, she didn't have enough.

"When I was born, they saw this as my destiny. I'm not strong enough to stop it on my own. Choris, will you help me?"

Choris nodded. "We're the only ones who can stop it."⁶

The infinite mark of Trigon flared against the palm of Akane's hand. The pain it generated fit in amongst the scars and wounds her battle had done. As best she could she walked forward without letting her gaze shift to the left or right of her. There would be no damage done by seeing Choris' profile, but to hold all the fragile threads of her power she couldn't look at the Titans, at Nightwing, at Raven.

"What are they doing?" Cyborg asked.

"I think they're going to fight the Yiken Stone."

"Do they have enough strength left to do that?"

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest, her sharp eyes darting around the haze of Akane's power to the two girls moving forward. "One can only hope."

"How do they know what to do?" Starfire asked.

Jinx flicked her cat eyes back towards the team "It's in their blood… Raven's obligation and Nightwing's righteousness."

"Why is the barrier still up? Won't she have more strength if she lets it go?" Beast King asked.

"She won't take that risk." Raven replied, shaking her head.

"Aren't you worried?"

"Terrified."

Terra was beyond terrified, she was furious. The ground rumbled under her feet, but that gold barrier ran deep enough and strong enough to keep the earth splitting to her side of the shield. She kicked, she screamed, she pulled her hair. _There's no way they're going to take my daughter from me! _

"Choris! Choris!" Terra's hands banged against the barrier.

Choris walked side by side with Akane and blinked her beautiful brown eyes when a spark of Akane's energy repelled the raging geomancer. Their steps were steady, their rights dropping down at the same time. Each step closer of Akane's body sent a tremor through the Yiken Stone, every matching step from Choris produced a matching wave that added to the storm. The two had the power to crack that Yiken Stone and spill the power of Trigon into the world.

Choris and Akane stopped not inches away from the Yiken Stone readying their powers to instead seal Trigon away forever.

They didn't look at each other. They didn't look back.

Their hands found that the Yiken Stone burned to touch, but they braved it. Choris' right eye pinched closed as a torrent of energy raced through her. Akane pushed her feet firmly against the ground as every ounce of her blood trembled in the wake of one of her ultimate creators.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex!"

The reaction was immediate. As Akane's power wrapped around Choris' the volume of energy coiled against the demonic flare of the Yiken Stone. No sooner had the energy met the countering bodies did the might of Trigon make itself known.

The roar of Trigon's fury echoed through the Cave of Segii. It knocked Akane and Choris back with a blast of evil energy. Akane slid against the ground, her left arm reached over her right shoulder to stop her motion; Choris was quick enough to turn a back flip, landing in a low crouch beside the other Transient daughter.

The cave began to shake. The furrows of energy dashed through the air. The Titans gasped when dark power drummed against their barrier. The force of the crash shook their bones. Behind the shield they were safe from danger. Akane and Choris had no such defense.

The Transient daughters saw the claps of energy fire through the air like the jowls of Cerberus at the gates of Hell. It was taking form. The wealth of energy in the will of Trigon was acting as a living, evil creation with one goal, one target: the most power energies near it.

The energy of Choris Nostra and Schala tu Akane.

The Titans gasped as the Yiken Stone split and more and more power leaked from it. Jinx's eyes shot open at the outflow of Trigon's power. She had only heard about the depth of Trigon's energy sire, it was beyond what she could comprehend.

Raven pushed against the barrier as she too was horror struck by the dark matter pooling, almost freely from the fracturing trap. She gritted her teeth and banged against the barrier. "Akane! Take down the barrier! Let me help you!"

The Titans could see the way the symbols of Trigon were glimmering against Raven's moon pale skin. The flickers of energies flashed like fire as her hands drummed to try to break free.

"Raven, stop! You're only hurting Akane by resisting!" Sakura shouted. The Holy wielder grabbed Raven's arm and was pushed back by a single wave of Raven's hand.

"You don't understand! That power is too strong! Trigon was feeding off this fight! Why didn't I see it before? It was Washu's plan all along! Whether we fought or gave in, Washu made sure the Yiken Stone would get the power it needed! I shouldn't have let this happen!"

Nightwing grabbed Raven's arms and behind his head Akane and Choris took to the air. "Raven, listen to me! They can win this! We just have to believe in them! I know you're scared, but you have to have hope that they can do this!"

Raven's eyes shook pitifully as tears ran down her face. "Akane is all the hope I have left."

"Then believe in her. She rescued Choris and you know that she's the strongest of all of us. If anyone can stop Trigon, she can."

The wind funneled underneath Choris, drawing the energy pools attention to where it wanted to be. The wind whipped around them, tossing their long hairs up and behind them, out of their faces, out of their concentration.

Terra shielded her eyes as Choris and Akane waved their hands into a feminine X before waving out, completing a full circle, their hands moving past their foreheads where Akane's mark of Scath burned and where Choris' slave crown used to rest. The torrent of Trigon's power roared as it stormed forward as the Transient daughters expelled all their energy, their eyes squeezed tight, their fists clenched at their shoulders, their battle cries screaming through the air over Trigon's power.

From their bodies golden energy spiraled forward and crashed into Trigon's storm of power.

…

It was a nightmare; it was **the** nightmare… the only thing that ever kept her awake at night.

She could feel it. Every inch of her body was being taken over. From the ground, from that hard space under her feet, the earth rumbled and cracked, splitting and smashing together like waves crashing against the beach. Terra tried to calm it, but her powers weren't strong enough. She couldn't find the source of the tremors until the quaking finally stopped. The earth slid up, inch by inch, covering her boots, wrapping around her ankles. She tried to pull herself free, but couldn't. It wasn't the earth wrapping itself around her… it was her becoming the stone again. It was the petrifaction claiming her, the earth calling her back to what she was.

The cold, cold feeling was running up her veins, following the path as more and more of her body submitted to the will of the world. Terra's heart pounded, drumming in her ears the most terribly sound she knew. Her lungs trembled with the exertion of her breath until the final sweep of the land closed in to devour her.

This was the part where she would wake up and scream. When the seal was finally complete and she was lost again in the dark, unkind space between animation and the other side. But the seal didn't finish. Her eyes shot open instead.

…

Terra watched closely, forcing her eyes to stay open. Their palms were open, thrust down at their hips just before their powers crashed into Trigon's. She had never seen anything so dark. The golden spiral of energy was pushing back against Trigon's power and Terra could see that some of that gold color was coming from Choris. The two stood locked side by side as the atmosphere was drowned out by their powers.

The shimmer of gold color was trickling away as the Transient daughters struggled to trap Trigon. Raven's eyes wavered as the bond that was holding them back was being torn down. _She isn't concentrating on it any more… she either doesn't think she needs to… or doesn't have the power to… _

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat.**

But Raven knew her daughter, knew that between the two choices, only one of them was a possibility.

"Akane."

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat.**

The other Titans saw it too. The energy clash between the Transient daughters and Trigon's might was expanded and their shield from it was getting weaker. Choris gritted her teeth and Akane's left eye pinched closed as they pushed with every single bit of power they had…

Until they had nothing left.

Trigon's power was pushed back, forced back into the range of the Yiken Stone. Choris and Akane could see it. There was only thing left to be done. Choris pushed with everything she had as Akane took in one deep breath and gave all she had left to give.

"AZARATH FAERIDOS REX!"

The echo would pierce through the walls for seconds, minutes, millennia. The sound of it would ring in Raven's heart, in Nightwing's heart and Terra's heart forever. The Titans would remember where they stood when they heard it, when they saw it all…

The energy clasp blinded them and beneath the fading barrier they all turned away against the light. They felt the winds against their back, they would feel energy splitting against their ears, against their skin.

Sakura uncovered her eyes, pulling her arm back from her face just as Nightwing uncoiled his body from around Raven's and as Jinx emerged from Cyborg's protective embrace. Their eyes all saw it. The Yiken Stone was sealed. The energy that had been pouring out had stopped, the green and silver stone still showed the unrest in the energy within it. The stone shimmed, but did not escape. Every fault was sealed, every trace of weakness was repaired. They had done it.

Raven and Nightwing's eyes turned to the sky, excitement on their faces until they saw their daughters.

Their bodies were battered. Clothes ripped, skin bruised and their eyes… the shine that was distinctly theirs was gone. The wind beneath Choris stopped, the gold barrier around the Titans and Terra Nostra disappeared. Without a word, without a glance, the two Transient daughters dropped lifelessly out of the sky.

"No!"

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat.**

"Akane!"

"Choris!"

The three moved at the same time. Terra, Raven and Nightwing dashed forward. Raven ran distinctly and so did Terra, each of them storming forward to catch their daughters. Nightwing saw both girls falling helplessly, both girls in his heart the same way. And he was faster, so when his arms reached out he caught her first before her mother could make a grab.

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat. **

She was weightless in his arms. The color had run from her cheeks and those beautiful eyes were drawn closed. Nightwing's fingers trembled. _No… this can't be! _His fingers shifted against her armor, but he couldn't feel it. He could not feel any trace of it. There was no heartbeat. "Choris! Choris! Wake up!"

"Akane! Akane!"

"Choris!" Terra screamed. She touched the girl's slack face, touched her shoulder, touched her arms. Tears ran down her face as Nightwing shook Choris and couldn't get a response.

"AKANE! AKANE!"

Raven's screams turned his head around and as he did he realized the terror that Raven was experiencing. In Raven's arms, Akane's body was slowly fading away. In his own arms, Choris did the same.

"No! No! NO!"

Raven squeezed her daughter tightly until the only thing between her arms was air. Nightwing's body tremored in horror, the convulsions rocked his core. Terra stepped backwards, shaking her head in disbelief. Her chest lowered and fell so fast it was painful, but that pain she could not feel.

In the center of her body, in the warm place that gave life, her energy reacted. Her heartbeat became jagged as the rage, the pain, the heartache took control of every ability to destroy within her power. "LAAAA!" The anguished cry echoed through the cave walls, bouncing through all ears except Raven's, who's ears were drowned out in her own screams.

The ground began the split and break. Black lashes of power cut through the air, shiving free slabs of wall that were splintered and dropped to the ground. The Titans dodged the best they could. Jinx's back flips saved her life, a diving tackled by Celine kept Beast King from being crushed. Starfire grabbed boulders from the air and threw them aside, her sister's eye beams smashing stones until a lash of power struck them both and hurled them to the ground.

Nightwing's feet jumped on their own accord to keep him from falling through the faults in the land. He had been standing right between the Transient mothers when their children died and when their rage escaped, it had hurled him across the cave, sliding back towards his sister and the other Titans.

"They're going to tear the cave apart!"

"Worse!" Sakura yelled. "They're giving energy to the stone!"

They turned their heads collectively, bracing their arms to see that the Yiken stone was resonating, absorbing power.

"Only Akane could seal it, but it looks like those two together can break it!"

Sakura raised a slender hand and erected a barrier that swung around the Yiken Stone, cutting the cave in half between Terra and Raven.

"Brother, I can keep Terra out, but that means Raven stays in! You've got to calm her down! She'll destroy us all!"

Nightwing dashed to the side of Raven. A flash of energy struck him down, but the black haired Titans' leader got to his feet again. He could see that Raven's eyes were shifting from white to red. If they made that switch, there would be no stopping Raven until Raven wanted to stop. In his own heart he felt the same wound that Raven did, but he didn't have the power to undo the sacrifice of their children.

He had the power to make sure that Raven didn't.

"Raven! You've got to control your power! You'll unleash Trigon! Akane's sacrifice will be in vain!"

The red and the white disappeared from her eyes, replaced with wide purple irises. Raven gasped as her control returned to her. Her body responded without her and she fainted where she was. Nightwing scooped her up, his body running along Sakura's barrier to bring them back to the team.

Sakura's eyes followed her brother's run until something familiar struck her. Her eyes locked on the space, that terrible place where Akane and Choris had ceased to live. Her brown eyes narrowed, through the silver-white of her power, she could feel another power, just like it, stronger. She stared, she didn't know what she was seeing, she wasn't seeing anything, but she felt something, but didn't know what to name it.

"We should go!" Cyborg yelled

They all agreed and Sakura dropped her barrier. The earth was still shaking but the Yiken stone wasn't reacting.

The Titans made to flee. In waves they rushed out as they heard behind them the continuing screams of anguish from Terra Nostra. Beast King would be the only one to stop and stare and see Terra collapse into tears when the rage of her blood finally gave into grief. He looked back, looked hard than turned his back and ran away.

…

_**BEAT, BEAT HEARTBEAT…**_

_**BEAT, BEAT HEARTBEAT…**_

**_BEAT, BEAT HEARTBEAT…_**

_**BEAT, BEAT…**_

_**BEAT, BEAT…**_

_**BEAT, BEAT…**_

**_BEAT… _**

…

It was quiet.

It had never been this quiet before.

It should have been impossible, because there were eleven of them in the room and they were all breathing.

It was quiet.

It had never been this quiet before.

It should have been impossible, because there were eleven of them in the room and they were all crying.

It was quiet.

It had never been this quiet before.

It should have been impossible, because there were eleven of them in the room, but inside all of them, a piece of them was dying.

"She can't be gone." Bumble Bee whispered. "There are so many things she'll never get to see…"

Cyborg dropped his head. "I would have liked to show her Titans' Tower." He said.

Tempest ran a hand through his hair. "She could have explored the clear waters with me."

Starfire wiped a tear from her eye. "Or celebrated the festivals of friendship."

Blackfire touched the hand of her younger sister and the redhead grabbed her immediately. Blackfire petted the sobbing girl as gently as she could as she tried to calm her own tears. "She could have seen all the wonders of Earth."

"She was so little." Celine whispered, her knees pushed together, her head propped in her hands.

"She was so brave." Arsenal said.

"As was Choris." Foxfire trembled, his head dropping in a way that they had never seen from the champion of Tameran. But no one could think of that, no one could think of anything except two little girls.

"They were too young." Beast King bit his lower lip, rubbing a tear from his eye.

Sakura hugged her arms tightly. Her own tears running fire down her cheeks. "Far too young."

It had been five days. Five days ago they had met and lost the two youngest members of their family. Choris and Akane had done their part to seal the might of Trigon away, but in the spark of valiance, they had lost their lives.

Five days ago they had returned to Titans' Tower, their bones were worn, their spirits were tried and some part inside all of them was broken. Nightwing had never looked so lifeless. He didn't make a single sound as he carried Raven towards her bedroom. No one had seen him since.

They knew that Raven had woken up sometime on the second day because a blackout had swallowed the whole tower for a few seconds before it flickered out and the pools retracted.

"Can anyone fair to guess how they're holding up in all of this?" Cyborg asked.

"It is difficult to tell. It would be presumptuous of any of us to assume we can comprehend the pain they must feel." Starfire responded.

"My brother is with Raven and all I can do is believe that's enough to keep his heart strong."

"And Raven?"

Jinx tilted her head to the Titans, her voice weak but steady enough to force out the words. "Raven is meditating. She isn't in the mind state to face the world with anything but the destruction of her grief."

"I wish I had a better chance to get to know them, both of them." Celine said.

"We all do." Cyborg replied. "But we've got to be strong ya'll. We've never experienced a hurt like this before and I pray that we don't ever again. We're going to make the Syndicate pay for what they've done."

Arsenal nodded in agreement. "For Akane."

"And for Choris." Tempest added.

"For Raven and Nightwing." Sakura declared.

"For all of us."

"For everything." Beast King added.

…

Nightwing touched her face gently as the woman he loved was obviously troubled in her meditation. Raven had barely been able to sleep, he barely could get her to eat, and getting her to speak was out of the question.

She was floating a few inches off the bed, the way he had seen her do the night Beast Boy had started to become a man. By that night, things had already begun to change between him and Raven, she had been in his head, she was making her way into his heart.

Time had moved quickly, then stopped, then started again, then slowed down and sped up and down and up and up and down, but since that day, all those years ago when he and Raven had to split paths, the rhythm had never been right outside their bodies.

So Raven had locked herself in her mind.

…

The water didn't look like much to see, but he hadn't come out to appreciate its wonders. He came out here because he was thinking about her and whenever he thought about her, he looked for the water.

Another her, a her he had tried not to think about, found him sitting alone of the beach, looking at the empty body. She didn't sit down next to him, she stood and held her arms, the chill of the night air was coming. The sun had set cleanly, but the catch of late fall only came when the sky was black as coal. There was still a bit of light, from the tower, from the city. She could look down and see him, if he wanted to, he could look up and see her.

"Beast King," She said gently. "You missed dinner."

Beast King nodded. "I can afford to once in a while."

Maybe when they were younger he might have turned it into a joke. Maybe if the pain wasn't so near, they could return to a sense of normalcy. But there was no such thing as normal anymore.

Today was the one month anniversary of the day they had met and lost Choris and Akane. The Titan redhead knew why he was sitting on the beach the way he was, thinking the way he was. He was thinking about her.

"I'm sorry." He said simply.

"What?"

"I said, I'm sorry, Celine. For everything."

Celine knitted her brow. "What are you talking about?"

"A month ago, I heard you talking to Starfire about the way you feel." He pointed to his sharp ears. "It's a new ability I guess. My sight is better, my hearing is better and I can smell fear."

Celine crossed her arms over her chest as the first gust of night wind struck her. She raised a slender brown hand to catch her red hair, for the most part it stayed out of her face. "You shouldn't be apologizing. I shouldn't have said the things I said."

"Yes, you should have. You have every right to… and for that I'm sorry."

"Beast King---"

"Don't. Don't try to tell me that this isn't some part my fault. I wanted Terra back so much that I let myself forget everything that happened between us. I forgot that she had chosen to be Slade's apprentice, that she had chosen to hurt us… and then I let her do it again… what's the saying 'those that fail to learn from their mistakes are doomed to suffer to repeat them'?"

"That's a terrible thing to say! And it's not true! This isn't your fault!"

"Maybe when I was younger I could have believed that, Celine. I can't be responsible for all the things that she's done… but… two little girls lost their lives, Celine! They're gone and unlike Terra, there's no second chance for them!"

The water was the only sound to be heard over their breathing. Celine kept her eyes down to the side, Beast King looked forward over the water. This was different. This wasn't the same as the one noble act Terra Nostra had ever committed. Akane and Choris were gone, destroyed in the act that had saved their futures. There wasn't a trace left in the world for them to rescue. They had simply disappeared as if they had never existed. But they knew that wasn't true, even if for just a few hours or on the other side of the battle field, they had felt and experienced those two girls. They had made a small, delicate place in all their hearts and with them gone that place burned.

"I loved her, up until the minute I saw her collapse when we were running away. I stopped loving her that moment because I realized I knew nothing about her."

Celine closed her eyes before sinking weakly to her knees in the sand beside him. She didn't make a single noise, not even her body colliding with the sand made a spark of friction. All the light from behind their backs overcast that coming from ahead of them in the city. Their faces were dark, but they could see each other, but they both looked ahead.

"I tried, Celine. I really did. Anytime any of my friends were hurt, I tried to make them feel better. When Starfire was lonely or if Cyborg needed a pep talk… I wasn't the best, but I tried…"

"I know."

"But no matter what I did… somehow someone always gets hurt. Sometimes I rubbed Blackfire or Bumble Bee wrong. Sometimes I made a bigger mess than they started with. Sometimes, I did nothing at all… that's what happened with Terra. I let her get hurt. And when she got hurt, I couldn't take that pain away…" Beast King ran his gloved fingers through his hair, the dark grey color caught his attention. The grieving animorph raised the gloved appendage to his face and stared at it, noticed every stitch, the lines following the deep set veins in his palm. "I tried to become something else, to get better than what I was… all my life, all I wanted to do is help people… but I can't help those closest to me. My transformation is useless."

Each one of the self-hating words Beast King pushed forward had struck Celine deep into her heart. As he stared down at his hand, her hands twisted in her skirt as she did her damnedest not to cry. She had always known Garfield Logan was insecure. She had seen through him the first time they spoke: it was the way he responded to her, responded to everyone that gave it away. The very first day she had met him, he had reached out to her and tried to soothe her heart. He hadn't known her for more than ten minutes and in a single touch of his hand, he had made the effort to make her feel better. He was the first to help her understand Victor, and he was the one that made her realize that the reason she and Cyborg were no more was just as much to do with Cyborg pushing as her letting herself be pushed away.

She had let herself be pushed, because every single inch had led her closer to Beast King.

There was nothing but the truth in the matter. Celine was in love with Beast King.

Celine's doe eyes followed the curve of Beast King's face, over his cheeks were the last of a tear had run. Her hand bypassed his, missed his arm, over his shoulder, past the shell of his ear and landed on his cheek. He turned into the touch, his green eyes waving as they met her brown ones. When his face turned all the way, her other hand found his other cheek and she held his face gently in the cup of her palms.

And she did what she should have done years ago. Celine leaned forward and kissed him. It was a brief, simple touch. It was actually the second time she had kissed him, the very first occurring nearly six years ago when Beast Boy had inspired the connecting thread in her genius to utilize Reverse Engineering and return animation to Terra Nostra.

She could see that he was thinking about that same moment six years ago when she pulled back. She dropped her hands from his cheeks, pulling away all contact between them. There was such a sad look on his face. His eyes looked so heavy, his mouth set in a straight line. Beast King looked down. Celine looked away.

She had taken three breaths and forced back a wave of tears before she braved to open her mouth again. "What will it take to make you see that you're a good person?" She asked.

Beast King said nothing for a few moments. "Probably the same thing that it will take for you to see…"

Celine nodded. "Do your best… and I promise I'll work on it."

"Let's sit here for a while."

Celine nodded in acceptance. They stayed where they were. He didn't put his arm around her shoulder. She didn't lean against him. She pulled her knees to her chest and they watched the moon finally begin to pull itself from behind the clouds.

…

Her sobs were fierce and uncontrolled. They choked her, they made every breath difficult. She spoke, her words fast, her sentences were broken mostly and muffled from her position. Her head was tucked firmly into the lap of BravE as the strong character petted her head.

"My baby! My baby! How could? How could this happen to her? I never should have let her… she wasn't supposed to fight! Akane was a gentle child! She should have never! Why? Why did this happen?"

BravE rubbed her mistress's back and did her best not to collapse in herself. The loss of Schala had struck them all. It had ripped many of Lethe's sides in half. She and KnowledgE would spend eons trying to restore those broken things.

"She's gone! My little… Akane." Raven sobbed. "All I had to do as a woman was to protect her and I failed her! When she was just a baby… I mean when she was still small, she was only just a baby… in the night once… she stopped breathing. I was so scared, I , I , I didn't know what to do. All I could do was cry… my mother came in and and she saved her, when I heard her cry I… I couldn't protect her! I could never protect her…"

"Do not punish yourself Lethe. Schala would not want you to harm yourself. She is gone, but she is in a place where she can't be harmed."

"And somewhere she can't be helped… what if she's scared?"

BravE kept her hood drawn as she stared down at her mistress. "You loved that girl with every inch of your life. Schala knew nothing of fear, because she knew your love."

"BravE… don't ever leave me." She whispered.

Raven wrapped her fingers into the dress of BravE's body. The dark green dress draped nearly to her ankles, the fabric rough beneath her fingers. Her mind state had matured, it had to, Raven had matured and all parts of her had to grow as she did. All fragments of her identity wore dresses, but only BravE's and KnowledgE's were long. They all still wore cloaks around their bodies, but only BravE's and KnowledgE's were white. The faces and figures of her parts had matured, but only BravE and KnowledgE had hair that was long like hers, only they were truly like Raven.

"Lethe, stand up." KnowledgE demanded from behind her back.

Raven turned and did was she was told and BravE stood behind her as if to brace her if she fell. BravE was that most trusted part of herself.

"What we feared to become… it has happened. Despite our best effort, the will of Trigon has taken Schala."

BravE's hand squeezed Raven's shoulder. "But the prophecy isn't over, is it?"

KnowledgE shook her head in the negative. "There is no way of knowing, but it would be a fool's hope to think that Trigon is done with you."

It hurt her to accept that HOPE had been born, like RAGE, from Trigon's manifest. But the thing that made HOPE grow wasn't evil, it was all the good things that happened in her life: her friends, her happiness, her love and just a bit Akane. HOPE had told her once, when she was still very small, that she couldn't be Raven's daughter and Raven had agreed… but she didn't believe her.

BravE's hand squeezed tighter as the muscles in Raven's body tightened. "He may send more after me… or he could lie and wait until I think I'm safe… I can't risk it."

"What would you do?"

"I would be a fool to try and hide forever… but now I must have caution. If I'm to live the rest of my life, I can't have any more children. To experience the loss of a child… I couldn't bear it again to have another child from my body become a victim to Trigon's will."

KnowledgE listened to Lethe and waited for her to finish speaking before she let her calm voice run through the atmosphere between them. All there was that mattered in Nevermore were standing side by side and in front of each other. By some manner of luck, RAGE had failed to reappear and BravE and KnowledgE were that much closer to being bonded to Lethe forever.

It was the work of KnowledgE and BravE to make those final transition steps, but they could not be done without Lethe. KnowledgE took a step forward. "It is a sad state of the world… that in some situations the machinations of evil men prevail no matter how valiant the good are."

"I do not believe that." Raven replied.

KnowledgE agreed. "No, you don't."

BravE moved to stand side by side with KnowledgE. Raven could see them both as clear as day, in white robes and with hair down their backs. They were just like her, they were her, if she could grab them and keep them there. "The answer is not to give up hope… that will never be the answer Lethe. You must do your part in foreseeing that no other daughter from you or anyone else is a victim to such a plight."

"You know what it will take." KnowledgE said.

Raven nodded. "Destroy Washu."

KnowledgE nodded. "He is the destructive might and brain on this side of the Ring of Azarath. Without him, there is no manifest of evil to act upon the world. Both Doomgaze and Trigon need Washu to be free into this world now. He is the only creature of evil who can do these things and he will do whatever it takes to get his objective accomplished… you know this."

Raven closed her eyes.

"Leave here, Lethe. Let us finish this work. We can handle your head. You must govern your heart." BravE said simply.

Raven nodded. There was only one matter of her heart that she could repair on her own and he was waiting for her.

…

Koriand'r sat on her bed alone in her room. Her bumgorf was acquiring food, but she had no appetite. She had always considered herself a good person, if not a bit impatient, single-minded or prone to immaturity. Those things were a part of her that came and went and made her what she was as a child. But, she was twenty one Earth years old. Under no rule or governing was she a child and when she realized such, she put away all childish things and focused.

She was a warrior of Tameran. A princess of Tameran, who one day might become Grand Ruler. The crown was promised to her by birth, but Koriand'r would not take it until she was the woman who could stand and defend and protect her people.

On Tameran, her people were a unified force, there was no breaking the bond between her clansmen. When one died, funeral fires and banquets were held in their honor. When widows grieved, there was boundless kindness to mature their rebound. When children died, there were friends who helped lift the hearts of those who mourned that greatest loss. She was not an unkind person to wish that kind of pain to never strike her. She was a very kind person to pray and mourn for her friends' losses without adding more pain to their burdens.

She knew there was no way to reverse what had happened. She knew that the wound that was open in the hearts of Nightwing and Raven were not the kind that could be repaired with stitches or Tameranian healing rituals. That wound she could not fix, but Starfire knew there was another wound that she could seal: the wound that existed because, while two young girls had lost their lives, the evil of the Syndicate of Slade still had theirs.

Starfire stood, exited her room and entered another. She found the training room was empty. It had been a very long time sense she had exercised many of the fighting techniques of her ancient people. She had learned very young to express her battle fury through the brute strength inherent in her people, but as a princess she was given privilege to knowledge of older fighting styles of her ancient, proud people.

There were few people who knew the techniques of the broad staff arts. Galfor knew them, her sister knew them and possibly the Foxfire of Tameran knew them by heart. Starfire did not recall them all so readily, but what she did remember, she studied.

She found her weapon, a long staff like Nightwing's, heavier, sturdy and used from its condition. She gripped the weapon and swung forward. Then down. Her right knee bent forward, her left back, the forward grip was her right hand… _that means I must turn to my left…_ Starfire shifted her weight and pivoted, swinging the weapon behind her back before striking out. _Then it is a step forward, a spin in the clockwise direction… then it is… …_

Another staff clashed with hers in her hesitance. Starfire raised her gaze and found D'ucel's weapon challenging hers. "It is shift in brace, your left hand becoming the dominant. Then you shift weight to the left side."

Starfire nodded and completed the rhythm as D'ucel instructed. Her spins moved her weapon into an aggressive stance. Foxfire acknowledged her challenge and took an opposing position. Their weapons clashed when D'ucel attacked and Starfire defended. His broad staff pushed back against hers, she used one hand to grip her weapon, the other pushed back. Foxfire shifted his weight and smoothly swept her from her feet. Starfire landed solidly, keeping the grasp of her weapon. Her right hand pushed against the ground and gave her the friction to up kick, her pointed toes colliding under Foxfire's chin. He did not stagger, but gave her space to reestablish position. A sharp turn of his head to the left side cracked his neck.

"Yar grod ut Koriand'r pradak?" (Something troubles you?)

"My heart." She replied.

Foxfire nodded and braced for the next blow.

…

"So you're really okay then?" Cyborg asked.

Jinx nodded. "I'm not the one who was hurt."

"From what you told me, you were hurt a lot too." Cyborg replied.

The cybernetic Titan sat down beside the hex artist.

"I'm alone as far as my family is concerned, but there are worst things in the world."

"I know the feeling. I lost my family in the accident that made me this way." Cyborg said before he dropped his hand onto hers. Jinx pulled her hand away.

"Nothing about me was an accident. It was all bad luck. I'm bad luck."

"Is that the line you've been hiding behind?" Cyborg asked. He turned his solid eyes to hers, seeing the way the feral black cleft cut through her pink eyes.

"I did everything I thought I could do in the only way I could think to do it. I'm not like you or your Titan friends. Good was never an option for me."

"But you're not a bad guy. I've seen it Jinx, from both sides of that line. Maybe I didn't notice before I was in the HIVE, but when I saw it, I couldn't forget it."

"When you're sappy like that, I don't like you… but that shouldn't suggest that I don't respect you. You're really nice to me. Why?"

"I… there's something about you Jinx… I always felt that you could do better."

"Better than what?"

"Than the HIVE, than Brother Blood: better than all of it, if you let yourself be."

"I didn't want this life." She replied defensively.

"Nobody wants the life they have. Everyone wants something better."

"How do you get better?" Jinx asked.

"Do better." Cyborg reached behind his back and presented a Titans communicator. He dropped it into her palm. The pink haired hex artist stared down at the yellow device and a few things became clear to her. She and Cyborg had a lot in common. She was tragic and he was understanding and neither of them were afforded much change from the time they first met to that moment just now. It wasn't as if time hadn't past for them or if they hadn't changed, but everything between them came back to the same part in time: he would always be the mechanical marvel and she would be the bad luck charm.

"What's better for us?" She asked.

"Us."

…

She looked into his eyes and saw every part of him. His mask was laying by his hips, where she had placed it after pulling it free from his face. His eyes were a brown she was familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if he was on the verge of tears.

The tears had stopped, but the pain was still there.

"I never got the chance to know Choris. Terra did something terrible to her. If I could have been stronger…"

Raven touched his arm. Nightwing turned his head to see her and saw how sad her eyes were. They hadn't left Raven's bedroom, the others just made sure there was food at the door, but the two hadn't stepped more than an inch away from the subtle darkness of Raven's room. The moon was just high enough to catch the floor of the bedroom and let Nightwing see every inch of her over the pale candle light.

_That look in her eyes… _He realized how insensitive he was being. He turned his body, wrapping his arms around her body tightly. "I'm sorry… your pain must be so much greater than mine."

Raven patted his shoulder. "You can't measure that pain, no one can."

"I'm just so sorry."

"When the Azar looked into Akane's life, she saw two things… one was her losing her life… the other was Akane experiencing great happiness. You helped give that to her. I don't regret giving life to her and you shouldn't regret that we didn't know about Choris. We loved our children and when the world turns over, that is the only thing that can't be shaken by prophecies, evil plots or monsters."

Nightwing squeezed her tighter. "I just feel like the sky will never look the same again after knowing those wonderful girls."

Raven was silent for a few moments and Nightwing felt her heartbeat against his own. "Maybe it won't. but… we're still here and we can fight for them and keep them in our hearts forever."

"In that one place where they are safe."

Raven nodded. He kissed her mouth, her fingers locked into his hair. They breathed each other in: the touch of her, the sound of him. Every inch became shared, every fragment became theirs.

"I love you."

"I love you."

He laid her down gently onto her bed. There he loved her the way he had always wanted to: the way he hadn't been able to for all those years… the way he wanted to for the rest of his life.

Downstairs a flare of dark power swam and darkened a training room and darkened the common room, darkened every room for a few seconds before sparking and flowing somewhere else. When the wave rolled over Sakura's room, she hadn't been awake to see it.

That night she and Arsenal had went to bed and Sakura woke up first. She didn't know where she was, but she knew how she got there.

The energy flowing around her reacted with the Holy storming through her body. She felt warm in her stomach, the closer she walked toward it. What it was, she didn't know. Sakura just moved and moved until the energy moved away and revealed to her what there was to see.

He stood perfectly still. His white robes shimmered in the silver-white, not a hint of shadow crossed his handsome face; the light was drawn to him. Years ago she had wondered how the light bent around him. But she knew now, it was the same thing that made her body absent of shadow. It was Holy and he was the source.

"Jericho."

The platinum blonde nodded, his handsome face bear of emotion, the way it had been nearly a decade ago the last time she saw him when he promised it would be the last time she ever saw him.

"Sakura, you are well."

Sakura nodded. It was no question. He knew. His energy, the energy around her was responding to her health.

"Jericho, why are you here? Actually, where is here?"

Jericho bowed his head as if she had stumbled upon a truth that needed to be known. Sakura looked around, trying to see what she was missing. But she saw everything. Holy was floating around her and Jericho was standing and so was she.

"Jericho? What is going on?"

"When the winds shift to tear the world apart, I alone will not be able to collapse the might of the Great Demon Kings. In my mind's eye, I see any attempts swallowing my life and the lives of thousands behind me."

"I remember that. You told me that before you gave me my Holy."

"And I say it to you again as I prepare to take it back."

Sakura's brown eyes widened. "Take it back?"

"I do not ask you to fight great battles. I do not wish for you to give your life for the good of many, only that you stand beside others who are strong and good. In years to come, lives will be made and twisted in the flow of the inevitable… in the inevitable future… Holy may fall, but in the moments most desperate, life will always triumph if there is something to shelter it… can you guard life if I give yours back to you?"

"You said that too before."

"That was the promise you made to me." Jericho said simply.

"I did."

"Are you prepared for me to call your debt?"

"But for who? How can I protect lives if I don't have Holy to do it? Who can I protect?"

"Them." Jericho whispered.

Without any conscious motion, Sakura turned her head to the side and saw them. They were on the ground. The one with purple hair was on her stomach, kicking her feet. The tiny girl with midnight black hair sat straight up, her huge eyes were wondering absently before they found her face. Her eyes were a brown she was familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if she was on the verge of tears.

"That's…"

"The ones called Akane and Choris."

They were babies. Actual babies. They looked the one year old they were by the calendar.

"You were there." Sakura whispered. "When I put up a barrier, I felt something in my stomach and I thought I saw something. It was you."

Jericho nodded. "Like the eyes of Torches, I, too, have foresight. But while Azars and demons fail to act, I did act. The crimes of Trigon and Doomgaze do not belong to those girls and I was able to capture a fragment of them both before they disappeared from the world."

"You saved their lives."

Jericho shook his head in the negative. "I have, as of yet, done no such thing. I have preserved their energy, but as they are, they cannot persist. To give them lives… I need pure heart and righteous need."

Sakura understood. "You said you were getting weaker. You may not have the strength left… but I do… My holy…"

"This sacrifice is why I gave you this power. If I could survive to see this day, you could survive to perform this sacrifice."

Sakura's breath was caught in her excitement. "That's not a sacrifice at all… it's doing what you asked of me when you gave me those powers. I can help Choris and Akane stand…"

"Sakura understand, this is no fairy tale. To do this... there is a risk… to give them life… you must sacrifice your ability to make it."

"What?" She wanted to keep staring at the two little girls on the floor not feet away from her, but Jericho's tone pulled her attention to his features. His stone blue eyes were piercing to match the fierce words that he had to dispense.

"Your holy is tied into your body… as a woman, it bonds deeply to the source of your nature… if I recall your Holy; I take with it your ability to bear a child."

She nearly fainted, but managed to step one foot solidly backwards to keep her head above her shoulders. What she could not do was stop the tear running down her face. Her brown eyes wavered, it was becoming harder to see, it was harder to breathe. To her right she could see those two little girls lying on the ground, waiting to have life… and in her mind she could see Arsenal, waiting to have a life with her.

Sakura touched her stomach and could feel the power of her Holy at her center, the same place that was the center for her womanhood. She had never dreamt vividly of motherhood as most women did, but that didn't mean she was anything less than for the prospect of having a child, a family, a home with such wonderful things as children.

And she knew that Raven had dreamt of those things and for hours Dear Brother had experienced fatherhood to two little girls. It was something they had and something they had lost in a stroke and span of one day. The future they wanted was torn apart and she had the power to repair it… by pulling a rip in her own fabric.

"Is it guaranteed… that if I do this, I will never have children?"

"As one gifted with foresight, I can tell you nothing is guaranteed."

Sakura clenched her eyes closed before drawing her holy to her hands. "It is the promise I made to you…For my brother… for Raven… I will take this risk…"

Jericho nodded. His hand touched hers and in that contact, Sakura felt all the warmth in her body disappear. _Was my body this cold before? _The energy sunk from Sakura's body into Jericho's and the platinum blonde nodded. For something so drastic, in Sakura's mind it felt anti-climatic. Her body was colder, her blood didn't feel the same, but eventually it eased and in a few seconds, everything felt the same.

"Some small trace of my power will remain… may it protect you."

Sakura nodded. "That's it? How long until you can give them back to Dear Brother and Raven? They're going to be so relieved to know they're alive."

"They cannot know."

"Nani? Why? Why can't they know? They're their children!"

"What I am going to do to restore their lives is a delicate process that will be the product of more energies than just this Holy. Removing the paternal influence from Akane and the removing the maternal power from Choris… it will take strength and I barely have left. The energy of the universe cannot be shifted by the anxiety of those with great wealths of power. If they were to know, their feelings for their daughters will manipulate the energy around the girls and possibly destroy any chance of giving them back life. This process is not instantaneous, Sakura. It will take years."

"Years?"

"I will raise them and protect them. Destroying some parts of them will make them no longer target to the actions of Doomgaze and Trigon forever."

"Then we'll destroy them both! Then! Then could they know?"

Jericho shook his head. "They cannot know until the process is complete, but when that will be done, even my abilities do not allow me to know."

"Just do your best and as fast as you can! We'll take down those demons and one day you'll return those little girls to their parents!"

Jericho nodded.

"I might not have Holy anymore, but I can still fight."

"Indeed, you are one of the four."

"One of the four?" Sakura asked.

"More than a score ago, four fighters challenged the Great Demon Kings: Trigon and Doomgaze to erase them from the world. We were not successful totally, but we managed to begin the motions to make sure that one day it did come to pass. We could not decide who was born and where and how, if they would have ties to each other and if they would be successful… we could only prepare and wait for you, for Raven, for Nightwing and for Jinx. Raven and Jinx were born with no choice, Nightwing and yourself were coincidentally related… or the product of much more than we intended."

"I don't understand."

"Grave, The Devine Master, Azar Metrion and myself fought once before and it seems in different independent bodies we fight again. Between the four of you will be the salvation of this world, just as it is for the life of those two small girls."

"How much of this was predestined? How much of this did you know when you came to give me this power?"

"When you were born, we did not know who you were. You were the forth, the unknown part, just as Grave was. The epicenter was Azar Metrion, just as Raven is. The guiding force, the knower of things that must be known, it is Jinx."

"And Dear Brother?"

"He plays the lasting role. He is the binding force between all of you. He is the connection loop that kept these girls alive, that keeps hope alive."

"Keeps them alive?"

"It was his influence that gave me the strength to find their lives when they were fading from the universe. Both of them have traces of Holy in their bodies and they are both due to him and who he is."

"I don't understand. How did either of them get Holy? And what does Dear Brother have to do with it?"

"Hope is a distinct energy, not unlike Holy. In truth, they are the same energy in different forms. Hope was born into Raven from the influence of Nightwing. Though Akane herself is the pure product of Raven, she could not bound and manipulate the power of Hope had it not been the will of Nightwing to help create it."

"I think I understand. But what about Choris?"

"She inherited it directly."

"What? From where?"

"From me."

"You're related to Choris? But… Terra doesn't have any Holy."

"No, she does not. Nightwing however does, he inherited it from me."

Sakura took a step back, her dark brow knit tight. "That can't be! You can't be his father! Otou-sama… he has to be Dear Brother's father!"

"And he is. Your brother is my grandson. Ueno is my son.⁷"

"I need to sit down." Sakura thought out loud. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before? What… how is that even possible? Otou-sama wasn't an angel! My brother is not an angel!"

"You are partially correct on both accounts. Before the War of Light and Dark occurred, Grave and I had a child together. He was part demon, part angel and part human. He was born with enough human blood and I had enough strength in my power to remove all traces of demoncy from his blood. But what I could not do was take away all his Holy."

"That's why you know what to do with Akane and Choris?"

Jericho nodded. "That lingering piece of Holy must be there in whatever form that is. Ueno took that piece of my power within him through his whole life in the form of Hope. With no demonic blood, he could not use it as a weapon. So it laid dormant in him and he passed that small trace to his son; to your Dear Brother."

"I… don't know what to say."

"It is a rather complex story I will admit. But you understand the important complications. The power of Hope is a spindle of my power and has passed to Akane and it has passed to Choris. The small heritage of angel found in my grandson cannot be used by him, just as it could not be used by my son."

"So my Holy is just like his… useless."

"The winds have not finished their howls, Sakura. Neither of your parts are completely finished. And neither your gift nor his strength of will is without use. There are still battles to be fought. I ask you still. Always Stand."

Sakura felt a wave of that familiar strength in her body, she hadn't felt that strong since she was eleven years old. She understood. To her side she could hear Akane and Choris making the meaningless sounds of childishness. Her brown eyes wavered as she looked down at those little lives and all the knowledge of what was and what would come to be hit her solidly. Jericho watched her watch them before she turned her eyes to see him again.

"Can I touch them?"

Jericho nodded. "For a few moments, I can see no harm."

Sakura found that her feet were light as she moved to kneel beside the two little girls. There was no recognition, the girls kept moving and burbling as if Sakura was one of them. They were different then they were when they had been in their adult forms. Choris' hair was curly and black. Akane's hair was purple, just like Raven's. Their eye color was the same… they were going to be Dear Brother's daughter and Raven's daughter and they weren't going to have to share them with anyone else… except each other… when the time came. Sakura touched Akane's face and felt Choris pat her arm. Sakura held the brown eyed girl and kissed her forehead. She lifted Akane and gave her a hug.

It was so cruel that their parents couldn't know about them and cruel still that these little girls would go years without knowing their parents. "Your parents love you very much." She whispered. Both little girls watched Sakura stand up and turn around, walking back to stand beside Jericho.

"How do I leave?" Sakura asked.

"Just wake up."

And she did.

She sat up suddenly as if awoken from a nightmare. Her chest rose and fell without any calm. Her hair fell down across her shoulders and slipped onto the body right next to her. She heard him roll over before she gained her night vision. When she pushed the hair behind her ears, she could make out the expanse of his face. He laid on his stomach, his face turned away from her, but she could see all of him.

He was so beautiful. He was the most beautiful thing she ever saw. His strong jaw, his thin lips, clean brow, straight nose… every part of him was a part of the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Her fingers traced his face, over his firm cheek, past his shell ears to brush his red hair back. He was so animated when he was awake and so calm when he slept. He had the energy, the personality, the drive that she responded to, had responded to immediately and indefinitely it seemed. She could give up a lot of things for a lot of reasons; this, this she could not give up. Sakura laid down, her head laying firmly on his left shoulder blade, her right hand rubbed his bare upper back. Her lips kissed his skin and behind her brown eyes she could see them when they were younger, running around like fools because they were young and because they could. He had a smile, that cool, beautiful smile that he would never lose. It was boundless, it was youthful.

Now she could see it. She could see that smile on a little redheaded boy with her brown eyes running in a park while his father chased him. She could see a little girl with eyes so green they could make the most glorious emeralds jealous. She could see a little family, her son, her daughter, her husband… now she could see it clearly when it was dangerous to reach for them.

"Roy… what have I done?"

He continued sleeping. She didn't want him to wake, because she was still weak enough to cry and she was weak enough to breakdown. Her confidence seemed a memory, all the times she was brave and bold felt like the influence of her lost Holy. She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled her thumb over the six scars on the inside slope of his shoulders.

"Please forgive me… I hope I did the right thing."

…

Celine didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have. She woke up slowly to find herself on a bed. She was on her stomach, one hand by her face on the pillow under her head. It didn't take her more than a few seconds to realize that she wasn't in her bed, she wasn't even in her room.

"Beast King?" Celine's eyes scanned the room for its owner, but found no sight of him. She raised her hand to rub her head thoughtfully to find a note stuck to her forehead. She blinked and pulled the folded paper from the perspiration on her brow. The girl genius looked at the envelope and frowned. It was addressed to Omicron, but it was distinctly in Beast King's handwriting. He never called her Omicron.

**_Maybe you're right. Maybe I am a good person. Maybe you're wrong and I'm right about not being one. Right now it doesn't matter what the truth is, what matters is how we feel… Because I know that you feel the most about me, you're the only one I'm saying goodbye to. You were a wonderful friend to me and I thank you for everything you are… but the only true way to thank you is to become the friend to you that you are to me. _**

**_You're a brilliant woman. I know you'll understand. I don't know where I'm going to go. But I know from watching a lot of television that you don't head anywhere for a vision quest, you go where you go and when you're in the right place, there you are. Hopefully I'll see it then, the remedy for my failure as a friend and with time I'll be able to get rid of it. Maybe in a few years I'll come back, maybe I won't. So if I don't, I want to tell you now that you mean the world to me. No matter what happens ever, never doubt that your place in my heart can't be taken over or broken by anything or anyone. _**

_**I'm just sorry that I'm not the man yet that you deserve. **_

_**Please tell the others that I'll be thinking of them always and that in the future they deserve only the best.**_

_**Gar.**_

And that was it. He had written it carefully and in pen and hadn't made a single mistake…

"Except that he wrote it at all…" Celine whispered.

Celine could see that his Titans' communicator was on the desk and his uniforms were bundled in a pile by the door. Beast King had left the Titans. He had left them with a broken heart and he left another behind.

The tears came with absolutely no restraint. The brown eyed engineer could feel the convulsions choking her through each trail of tears against her cheeks. She had to keep her eyes closed to keep the burn from blinding her. The well written noted was crushed and stained with tears when she dropped her head into her hands.

"This can't be happening… No, I can't… I can't let him do this… not alone… not while he holds my heart in his hands."

Celine wiped her cheek and knew before she could think it what she was going to do.

Only Cyborg and Jinx were in the common room when Celine stormed in holding two communicators in her palm, a pack on her back and a Fire Fly case strapped to her chest. Her eyes scanned the room, in some foolish hope that Beast King was still in the Tower and waiting for her to find him.

"Celine? What's going on?" Cyborg asked.

"Beast King's left the Titans."

"What? Why?"

Celine shook her head; she wasn't going to tell them. "He's gone and I'm going to find him."

"Omicron, you can't!" Cyborg said, coming to stand not inches away from her. The blue eyed crime fighter stared down at the slightly shorter redheaded engineer.

"Don't call me that… and yes I can… and I am. I'm not going to let go again so easily."

"But Celine, we need you."

"No, you don't. Any idiot can run my console and you're all strong enough to fight together without my strategies. You were a strong team before me, you'll be strong when I'm gone." Celine took his wrist and dropped the two communicators into his hand. The cybernetic Titan looked down at them both then looked into both of her brown eyes.

"What about Blood?"

"You don't need me… she can tell you more about him than I can." Jinx knew that she was the 'she' Celine had referred to. Whether her sentiments were true or not, she would not say. She wasn't going to say anything at all.

"Celine… I'm sorry." Cyborg said, knowing what Celine knew and knowing that there was no point explaining what she already understood.

"Yeah… but we haven't lost just yet… I think we just picked the wrong battle this time."

Cyborg nodded. Celine turned her head to see Jinx, eye to eye. "Give him the best of what you've got. I'm sure he deserves it."

And then she turned and she was gone before Cyborg could close his hand around her communicator.

"And there she goes… out of my life again… This time… maybe it really is for the best."

…

He woke up naked as the day he was born and probably more vulnerable. It was early morning, very early morning as far as he could tell. The window of her room faced east and when the sunlight came; it came through untinted windows and streamed across his face.

He raised an arm to shield his eyes; his mask had been discarded sometime in the middle of last night. He didn't think to look for it. There was no hiding his identity, not from her, not from anyone in the tower. So he leaned on one elbow, in her bed with the sun in his eyes until he could block it out.

He could see her silhouette, though he would have preferred waking up with her in his arms, like he had done yesterday and all the days before since they had returned to the tower two months ago.

"We're going to have to go soon." She said.

"What?"

"I saw it in my mind. We stopped Washu's plot, but we haven't stopped Washu and until we do---"

"Nothing is safe."

He climbed out of bed. He made his way to her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders, his chest rested against her back, his chin fell into the hollow of her shoulder.

"Richard…"

"Raven, has it happened? Have you felt it inside you at all?"

"What?" Raven asked.

"You told me about the parts of your mind, about losing HOPE… with everything that's happened, I just wanted to know if it could happen again for you?"

"I wish my mirror wasn't broken… I could show you."

"Just tell me." He replied.

"Parts of me are shifting, some identities are missing and some are becoming me… Brave and Knowledge are both a part of me…"

"What will it take to get hope and joy and happiness to be part of you?"

"Time. Patience. You. More time, I suppose."

"You have me, no matter what, and all that I can give you."

"I know, Richard. I know that all the way to my soul."

"Raven, when this is over, will you marry me?"

Raven nodded without hesitation. Nightwing sighed contently and closed his eyes. "I've had the ring ready for six years."

"Six years?"

"I brought it on Tameran, when we were just kids… I had brought it as a promise ring."

"There is no greater promise is there?"

"No. We're going to win this Raven and we're going to make sure that we never have to be afraid again, never have to be separated again, never hurt this way again."

Raven closed her eyes and nodded, her chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm with him. They stood there for a very long time watching the sun rise higher and higher into the air. The sunlight spilled over the water in just the way that made the reflection shimmer in a golden color that tugged at their heartstrings.

…

When Raven and Nightwing entered the common room, all the Titans were there: Cyborg, Bumble Bee, Tempest, Starfire, Jinx, Arsenal, Blackfire, Sakura and Foxfire.

"Raven. Nightwing. You are… okay?"

Raven nodded. "As we can be."

Sakura stood up from her seat and ran to the pair, not stopping until she could grabbed them both in a fierce hug.

"Sakura?" Nightwing patted his sister's back as he felt the smallest tremor run through her frame.

The black haired girl pulled back and saw the worry in Raven's eyes and the confusion in the features of her Dear Brother. "Itsumo tatsu." She said simply.

Raven knitted her brow. Nightwing understood.

"So what happens now?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

His voice could haunt their nightmares. His face could tear about their dreams. They all turned at that same moment and saw that same dark figure.

"Slade."

"Yes. I must commend you Titans for… modifying our plans. You are quite formidable opponents. But I would recommend against allowing a single victory to inspire any confidence… especially not if you knew what we were up to now."

"Now?"

"You think it's over? You think we're through? We're never through Raven… Nightwing… Sakura… It is never over. The Syndicate has plans and you will submit to them, no matter how many more have to die. I am waiting… Washu is waiting… Terra is waiting to tear you all apart. This time I think we'll let her. Come Raven, come Jinx, come Nightwing and Sakura. Leave the others behind or let them come to die, it doesn't matter. Just come."

"We're gonna come, Slade, and you're gonna get a fight!"

"I'd expect nothing less. And I've chosen… a most fitting arena." Slade tapped his forehead, right at the mark of Scath. "Tomorrow, Raven, let them lead the way." ⁸

Slade's image disappeared, the screen faded to black. Collectively their fists unfurled. Their bodies relaxed, their blood cooled down. They turned to Raven.

"Do you know where he meant?"

Raven nodded. "And tomorrow we're going go there."

"We're… we're behind you guys no matter where this goes." Cyborg said.

"It goes to the end…"

End of Chapter Fifteen.

A/N

¹Think Street Fighter 2: Chun-li's upside down spin kick, but Robin is on his hands rather than spinning midair. Or think of Hot Spot's upside down kick from Winner Take All. Robin is known for taking other people's moves.

²Julia Chang's outrigger. Such a ridiculously sweet move.

³Ah, Canon.

⁴ Roleinen is Celine plus Robin. This is what Jinx was trying to tell Celine in FarCry part Six.

⁵That flashback takes place right before Nevermore. A bit unnecessary, but fun nonetheless.

⁶Terra's line from Aftershock part two: sounds a lot better when one of the good guys says it.

⁷That was a lot to ingest but the major gist of it is that a very tiny fraction of Nightwing is angel. He's not going to sprout wings or develop super powers, his version of Holy (Hope) is unusable in him. He doesn't control it. It's a part of him and it's responsible for a lot of things. His life energy is gold, just like the color of Hope. It's also why it's very difficult to kill him, his strength of will (hope) protects his life. His strength of will gives life to others. Hope and Holy are different even though they're the same power; the difference is what is different between Sakura and Nightwing. Raven's energy isn't a countering force to Hope, only to Holy. It's why Akane could exist, because technically she's a product of Robin's Hope (but she's not biologically related to him.)

⁸ Can you guess where they're going?


	56. The End pt 1

The End

Part One

A/N: Sorry about the long update. Real life got in the way.

…

It was a nightmare; it was **the** nightmare… the only thing that ever kept her awake at night.

She could feel it. Every inch of her body was being taken over. From the ground, from that hard space under her feet, the earth rumbled and cracked, splitting and smashing together like waves crashing against the beach. She tried to calm it, but her powers weren't strong enough. She couldn't find the source of the tremors until the quaking finally stopped. The earth slid up, inch by inch, covering her boots, wrapping around her ankles. She tried to pull herself free, but couldn't. It wasn't the earth wrapping itself around her… it was her becoming the stone again. It was the petrifaction claiming her, the earth calling her back to what she was.

The cold, cold feeling was running up her veins, following the path as more and more of her body submitted to the will of the world. Her heart pounded, drumming in her ears the most terribly sound she knew. Her lungs trembled with the exertion of her breath until the final sweep of the land closed in to devour her.

This was the part where she would wake up and scream. When the seal was finally complete and she was lost again in the dark, unkind space between animation and the other side. But the seal didn't finish. Her eyes shot open instead.

Her psychosis put him in her bedroom. It was what made her hear the sound of his voice. Very few things spooked her, but many things haunted her.

_You have had doubts in the past. Made mistakes… _

How her mind convinced her body to move confused her, but she could not convince her mind to think about it. It ran without her, it always had. It was the reason why she was dangerous. That control… it had never been hers until she accepted that control was a figment of a darker creation. When she ran before, she was running from that midnight thing in her mind, in her veins. But when she accepted it, everything began to run in the same direction. Fear disappeared.

_Failed…_

She saw herself in the mirror. Her hair was limp across her shoulders and down her back. Her thick lashes drummed against her cheeks with every microsecond drop over her eyes. Between her rage and depression, she had spent a long time with her eyes closed… she could black out the sight of her loss… but not the sound.

_Failed her._

The fault ran through the epicenter of the glass. The wave ran from the southwest corner to the northeast edge, running spider webs through the glass. She opened her eyes and saw a million different blue eyes, all exactly the same in their inflection, but their angles and their size and the face they rested in made them a monster.

_You have done unspeakable things… but they pale in comparison to their crimes. __They took her away from you. They made you suffer, they made her suffer… she isn't here anymore… but you're entitled to your revenge._

"Yes."

Those million blue eyes blinked.

_You suffer now in your loneliness… _

"I do."

_You should return the favor._

The glass in the mirror gave up and collapsed onto the bureau and scattered against the floor. Her eyes stared down at them before the pull of the earth under her control crushed them into pieces so small they couldn't produce a reflection.

"I will."

…

"Anorsis Indarame Novya Mesis Syph. Boyumami Bortinon Rava Yier. Indorsiles Purbonamen Gaiten Rainen Baoras Vinin Lelled."

Against her grey skin the white flames cast shadows. Candles spun gently in their own lives, highlighting all the stones in the private river of her chambers. The scroll books were all closed except for one, the one she was scribbing in, the one that was the weave of life.

At one point all the flames had been different colors and each of the stones had reacted in vibrant motion creating waves in the private river of her chambers. Before her apprentices stared down at them and wrote the same story in their books. But all the books of her apprentices were closed, her students had left and she was alone with what there was to be seen.

Foresight, the gift of Torch, was a terrible one. It saw everything that had to happen, not just what could happen, but all those things that had to come to be so that the next line of events could continue as it was to be. It was like a plot, the progression of time, and it could rearrange itself, because there was life to the process. The name of that higher power, the thing that drove the absolute of mortality, was called inevitability.

Some called it destiny. She knew that those some were fools, trying to glorify or justify a force that they could not understand. The wheel at work was much too far above their comprehension. The process of inevitability had a drive, an ego that had to be satisfied. The satisfaction that it sought was the end of all things mortal.

Inevitability was choosing Trigon.

In her books, those she had studied religiously as a girl, she had seen the mark of the beast. There were eight layers of Hell, each of them kept by a demon that the monks of Azarath studied and feared and fought against. Those in the four lower levels were those that were fought and kept alive only by those who worshiped in poorer broods, not enough following to provide a threat. The top four, she knew, were the four that were rightly feared and rarely braved against.

Her fingers trailed over the etching of the stone directly in front of her. _Girato_. _Four… wicked. _The symbol was that used to mark the fourth and lowest demon king Bruhiki, who was defeated by her teacher. _In the scrolls, the four is tied into wickedness… In the scrolls, the three, the Tiprobis, is tied to betrayal and to Isarnes, the second lowest of the demon kings._

Against her palm, the two remaining stones, those that representing the living demon kings, the Great Demon Kings, burned in her palm… but she held them still and watched the energy wave from them. "Doomgaze, the number seven, from the Azarathian code Nyirion, tied to the word evil. His cruelty is not unmatched, but his cleverness is what has allowed him to endure… but his strength of mind cannot hold forever… the survival of his kind is not indestructible."

She dropped one of the stones and let the other's heavy weight carve a mark into her flesh. It would heal, just as some of the wounds the master of that energy had inflected, because it must… _But the healing_ _does not erase, nor does it prevent future marks… because all marks by this strength return…_

_And always through blood…_

The river before her was the inlet to the only waters of Azarath. It passed her study room everyday and everyday it flowed just like the blood of mortality…_And one day this water will stop as well…_

Her slender hands covered the final stone before passing it into the water rushing past her. It sunk to the body and did not move with the slow push of water. Her light eyes watched the energy move the water faster towards where it was already heading. The symbol on the stone was the most terrible in the vocabulary of the Azarathian language.

"Katrien, the number eight, is tied to infinity. It is the word all, the inescapable… the unavoidable… it is the end."

Her candles flickered and moved against the energy of the room. There were thirteen candles, only ten were lit. One had blown out long before she was born. Of the ten living candles, eight of them represented individual lives, one of which was her own. Of the remaining eight, four were still fighting, three of them had done their fights and moved to new battles… and the two remaining candles were things that were being fought for.

Three candles had blown out when the winds of their lives had shifted out.

_Kikiyon tu Grave_

_Schala tu Akane_

_The Aeromorph Choris_

In her books she had collected their names: the names of those whose lives were tied to the candles that wrapped around the two smallest candles in the eyes of Azarath: the planet Earth and the world of Azarath.

The Azar Sabrah closed her book and stood to look at eye level to the two smallest candles in their pillars beside her collection. She had seen in her mind that every one of those candles would burn out and would burn out soon. Already the candle tied to the life of Jericho had begun to wane and the life of his disciple had changed and burned more dimly, but burned none the less.

Sabrah waved her hand gently, pushing back her light green cloak and moved to stand before two unique candles, whose bodies had begun to spin into the other, yet keep separate flames. All her life she had known the life candle of Lethe tu Raven and because of his heritage, she was somehow aware of her young lover, whose blood was tied to the candles that had gone out or were fading. That candle fascinated her, in her mind's eye she had seen him many times, but she did not know his name, his true name, the name that came from Ueno, whose name meant borne… Sabrah had for years, especially in the year where Lethe stood beside her, had wanted to understand what Ueno had borne into the world… and what it would mean for all the tiny candles of the world.

The life candle of the Devine Master had not changed in years, nor had the candle of Astarte tu Jinx.

There were two other candles that had not changed in the years she had been tending to this place, since she understood the obligations of foresight. Sabrah held her hand forward and both those candles came to float into the air from her power. Her green eyes stared at them, with a look to be confused with fascination… which was the opposite of what she felt. Sabrah was familiar with these candles most of all: more than the candles of Azarath and Earth, more than Jericho and Lethe… she knew every detail of these candles, there was no surprise or unforeseeable turns in these flames…

_The Flames of Azars…_

The Azar Sabrah gently returned the candles and closed the doors of her study behind her as she traveled the halls of her Temple.

Azar Metrion had not died and would not die for some years' time. Azar Sabrah knew this and she knew also that in the design of her abilities, she would not have the full capacity of an Azar's might until the previous Azar was died.

_I have been an Azar for time of six full generations of years. I lack nothing for time, the demoncy in my blood provides me with exceptional longevity, however in these six years I have aged far beyond my years. This says nothing for my strength and the strength I can divide between my people. In these years six, I have been nothing if not a poppet and for the reason, I do not know. _

She had been known for her gracefulness for many years, it was especially noticed after she became Azar. Sabrah moved in measures akin to sleeping heartbeats and she could not control it: for it was heartbeats that dictated her walk… but the heartbeats were not her own.

In her walk through the corridors, her robes billowed wide behind her, pushed behind her shoulders, the material moved with the wind of her movement's creation. She could not move too fast or perceivably too slow, she walked evenly and forwardly, always in the forward direction.

Her motions brought her to the great hall of her temple. This was the most vast of all her libraries and it was the only one that was living. All of the pages here were open, the others in her smaller collections were past tales, those whose records could not be built upon. Those collections were managed by her monks and many scribes and many apprentices.

This library lived because it followed: it followed the record of Earth and the Ring of Azarath. It recorded births and deaths, valiant struggles and even more foolish fights and it followed the path of candles that determined the fate of other candles which determined the fate of the world.

But this library was living for another reason. Azar Sabrah moved through the volumes and volumes of text that were written and would be rewritten many times before they fell into the dead libraries. There was more than scribes and students in this library. There was more than stories, epics and prophecies amongst the towers of shelves.

There was a constant heartbeat. It was slow, locked in the rhythm of something akin to hibernation. However, Sabrah knew that the lock was the stasis of meditation, one that had lasted six years.

"Azar Metrion… Bura Tun Vireime Indulduran Sorses Vivei… Byiolo Niryx Broynty Crieewde Ywen. Gupin Yores Aganpe Esttei Lomma Omeh." (My understanding of what is and what shall come to pass is… of a quality I can not be satisfied with. Please, expound the mysteries therein.)

Azar Metrion's eyes were silver, though his blood was completely human. The strength of his mind was completely unparalleled, not even the might of Trigon could best it. Those many years ago, when the others had succumb to the illusions of Trigon's power, Azar Metrion had the mental ability to overtake Trigon for the few previous seconds needed to capture him.

_And now,_ Sabrah's green eyes stared unflinchingly into the eyes of her teacher, _the fight has come again and yet… I could not see this battle in my mind's eye…_Sabrah had not been made aware of the limitations of her abilities until the weaves she thought as cement had moved into an avenue of darkness that birthed light as it continued.

The candle of Schala had burned out, that she had seen. However, in all her meditations, she had also seen the life of bloodline of Jericho end… but that was before the candle of Choris was ever lit.

The candles of life were not an Azar's to light or put out, coax or temper with. They, like the river before her, were inevitability. What did not come from them would show only a world cast in shadow.

But many shadows became avenues of light, even as Sabrah stared at them with her gifts. The light was coming from a source that should not have influenced the creation and destruction of lives… but it had… and had been for years…

Lethe tu Raven.

Sabrah had studied Lethe's life in the hours where she was in the pedagogy of Azar Metrion. She had seen the horrible things that would become of her friend and she had prepared…

But for all those things that she had seen, what frightened her more than what was… was what had yet to come to be.

Her life, the life she created, and the life that would be destroyed under her power: it had influenced the tiny candles that were tied to very valuable lives. But two lives, with whom she was intimately related, did not move at all.

_The flames of Azars…_

Sabrah knelt, her white skirts fanning out around her body, her green cloak falling open around her figure. She looked nothing like a child, though she sat in a studious position. She was confused, a feeling not associated with those gifted with foresight, and she needed that anxiety calmed by understanding what she could not.

It was one of the many things that her limited foresight was denied to her: the ultimate knowledge of Azar Metrion: who was infallible.

"Why does your candle not tie into Lethe's? You have watched her for her entire life. You nurtured her powers, protected her, raised her… she is more like your daughter than I or any of your other students… yet her life does not bend like yours…"

Azar Metrion continued to say nothing. Her voice was slow in the language of her birth. She had been raised in Azarath, given an Azarathian name to be spoken on an Azarathian tongue. As a child she was called Water by more than by Sabrah, the name tied to the number nine, that meant gifted, that made her the next Azar. Azar Sabrah tu Water let her green eyes meet the silver eyes of Azar Metrion.

"What have you seen that you cannot suffer me to know? I have seen the end of the world. I have seen the death of millions, of myself, of Azarath… what more danger is there for me to be denied?"

Azar Metrion's silver eyes closed and opened exactly once under her gaze. His throat was dry from lack of use. After six years, he spoke exactly one word.

"Hope."

…

"EHH!" Her short battle cry continued as her body rotated to commit her leaping spin kick.¹ Her high heeled boot spun over the ducking head of her sparing partner. Jinx landed in her Art of Phoenix stance, her body low to the ground as her arms rose up and behind her body.

Sakura dashed forward, lashing out with a bruising elbow. Jinx dipped backwards just out of range of the blow and Sakura moved in, dropping low before pivoting on her hands to spring a split-legged, back somersault. Jinx rolled evasively, spinning on her shoulder to the right and emerging in her stance, waving her arms aggressively.

As Jinx swung her hips to sweep her feet from beneath her, Sakura moved swiftly to stop the move. Her body turned, her knees pivoting to give angle to her punch, the blow catching Jinx solidly in the shoulder. The off balanced hex artist could not react to block Sakura's rising fist. The balled up hand of the Xing Yi fighter uppercutted her strongly, swinging her head back towards her shoulder blades. Sakura's rush ended when she secured both of Jinx's hands and wove them around the half-demoness' waist as she spun her. With her arms locked across her front and to her waist Jinx had no leverage to prevent Sakura from dropping between her legs and lifting Jinx to her shoulders. Sakura snapped her hips and suplexed Jinx to the floor. ²

Sakura rolled away from her victim and wiped the sweat from her face. Jinx was an impressive fighter, near or at the level of her brother which was not far from her own level. The art of Sakura's body was drilled into her from the age of nine and in the total seven years that her body was incapacitated by the actions of monsters, her blood could not forget the rhythm of the fight.

When a fight was fair, her body lacked the capacity to lose. She had a drive in the fabric of her spirit that always made her move, gave her tempo, gave her pulse beat that made her entire body a weapon.

To Cyborg it looked like Sakura was standing perfectly still, contemplating the deep thoughts of a martial artist on the way to her summit fight. He moved to Jinx's side and helped the pink haired fighter to her feet. The moon-pale skinned hex weaver shook the cobwebs from her head and watched the martial artist who had defeated her as Cyborg addressed her.

"Man, Sakura!" Even in his age of twenty-six, some aspects of his teenage years remained in his speech. Some things didn't change. "Is there anyone you can't beat?"

"No, there isn't."

Sakura moved and left the training room without so much as a look. She left her weapon and awe-struck Jinx and Cyborg behind her. Sakura walked through the corridor and felt it from the bottom of her feet to the inhale of her lungs: the tower had changed. Other than D'ucel, Titans' Tower was the least of all hers as far as time went. It was her home last, every Titan who ever took claim here had done it before her. And all of them had many more memories echoing through the corridors than she did.

Be that as it was, Sakura still felt the speed of time as all the others did. Star and Foxfire had ended their training earlier than any other the others, but the aggression of their Tameranian art supported their early retiring. She hadn't seen Blackfire and Tempest in hours, but that did not surprise her in the slightest. Those two were strongest when they were together.

Just as her brother and Raven were.

Just as she and Arsenal were…

Except at that moment, she really needed to be alone.

The black haired beauty moved in the forward direction, took the stairs up four flights and turned into her bedroom. The room felt empty. One month and a day ago, Beast King had left the Titans. A month ago, Celine had followed him. Neither had said much before they left. Beast King had said nothing and Celine had only spoken because she had encountered a human being in the path of her Titan hunt. She had left almost everything. A book or two was taken, her pack and personal effects. She had traveled light and in her travels no one had heard from her.

Things changed, as far as Sakura was concerned, in the pattern of months: one month ago the Titans had lost Celine and Beast King; two months ago they had lost Akane and Choris; and three months ago she had lost five years of her life.

It was a combination of reality and the loss of her Holy that made Sakura unstable about the future. So many things had hit her and they had all come so fast she found it hard to breathe. It made it easy to cry.

Arsenal found her sitting behind her door, finishing her cries. It was very close to midnight and in the pit of his stomach he felt as if she needed him. The twenty five year old archer knelt down beside his twenty three year old girlfriend. His gloved hand found her bare one and held it gently as her pitiful brown eyes looked into his masked ones.

"Sakura, why are you crying?"

Sakura couldn't answer the question, even though she had all the words to give him to justify her imbalance. She knew enough about the future to both tremble and rejoice, but the past and the present could only make her shiver.

"Sakura, talk to me. Why are you shaking? Are you… afraid?"

For a few seconds, Sakura considered lying and putting on the façade of confidence she had faked for Cyborg and Jinx not a few hours ago. Her fingers twisted gently in the grip of Arsenal's hold, the slender digits fanned out before balling tightly, never leaving his grasp.

"Five years." She said simply.

Arsenal nodded.

"For everyone else, it was five years… to me it was just three months. I can remember every part of it. I was trapped, Washu had locked my powers and Terra showed me that hers weren't. She trapped me in the earth to suffocate me… but my Holy protected me. She locked my arms and opened holes in her grip so she could attack and I couldn't defend. She wanted to destroy me, the thing that stopped her wasn't me; it was Washu's plot. He wanted me to suffer more than anything Terra's fists could do."

"He put you to sleep…"

"I could have stopped him, he had to let go of his hold on my powers to do it, but with the damage done to my body, my Holy acted to protect my life instead of stop Washu. If I hadn't been injured, I could have broken free."

Arsenal understood. None of them had forgotten the hatred they felt for Terra Nostra. Her machinations were the centerpiece for the plots of Slade and Washu both and without her, their evil intentions would have failed time after time after time. All of them understood that Terra was the twisted Queen's piece that had to be taken from the board to end the game set up by the Slade Syndicate.

"We're going to stop her Sakura. She won't be able to hurt us anymore… and no one will blame you for using the full extent of your abilities to take her down."

Sakura's brown eyes became hidden by her thick eye lashes. The slight slant, half heritage attributed to her mother Asuka, was masked, just as her irises were, the color distinctly Bruce Wayne's. Arsenal felt her fingers weave through his and felt the scratch of her hair against his cheek when she leaned her forehead into his chin. Physical intimacy had come so easily to them and when they both were willing to put a name to what they felt, love had been just as easy. They could read each other, they could see every inch of each other through closed eyes and they knew, somehow they always knew, when the other was shaking with the memory of their pasts. And even though he knew she didn't want to say it, something was running back and forth through Sakura's heart to make her afraid of the future.

…

ºShe was gone for four months and for his purposes, that was just long enough. He packed exactly one bag, pulled on an extra, extra large track suit that by the miracle of miracles had fit, and left the house for the first time in nearly a year and a half. It was mid-afternoon and the sun wasn't out, but around here, it never was.

The way he moved was as confident as it had been seven months ago, before the change had occurred that gave his mind state a reason to be different. Against the backdrop of the dead isle of Brock County his stride seemed out of place. But no one recognized him: he did look different but they all tried not to look.

Victor K. Stone had had an accident. No, that wasn't entirely true. There had been an accident and Victor K. Stone was the only person to survive it… but survived was a relative term. He was alive, biologically, there was still a heart in his matter and half of his brain was the way it was as he had grown up, except now it had a capacity that he couldn't have dreamed of: it had a greater storage for memory… everything in his history was crystal clear.

He moved from the house on Patrick Street, a rundown little place that didn't belong to him. It had belonged to her, but she had made a deal with him, she had moved on and he had moved in… but he had every intention, even in the moment the deal was made, to renege of that deal. He was moving on.

But before he could go, he had to put everything else behind him.

The man would have to go to an institution, Victor knew that from the beginning shakes in his hands and neck and from the stutter he'd developed on top of the nervous twitch. He hadn't taken it well: but then again, what kind of man could kill his wife, daughter, and three sons and not feel something?

"Mom, Anthony, Samuel, Jacob and Annette. They're all gone… and if there was any justice in the world, you and I would both be with them. But you got off with only mental scars and I didn't get away at all."

Victor's blue eyes were his father's and when Dr. Kwame Stone looked at his son, half of his features reminded him of the man he used to be. All his sons had impressive builds, but Victor was bigger, smarter, better than his brothers, than anyone, than everyone. Dr. Stone looked up into the angry machine he had made, taking in the fruit of his intensive labor as it stared back at him with angry eyes.

"I did my best to save your life." Dr. Stone whispered.

"Your best wasn't good enough! Look at me! You made me a monster!"

"I know what I've done. You aren't the monster between us." Dr. Stone's ticks took away the sincerity of his words. The way his head bobbled, how his fingers marionetted as if tugged on by the invisible strings of a greater, more monstrous power, made him look mad, not remorseful.

"I'm sixteen years old, Dad! Look at me! I had my whole life ahead of me! And Mom and Annie, Tony, Sam, Jake! They're dead! And what did you make that was so worth that sacrifice? Huh? What was so important that you could take all of them away?"

"Freedom."

"Freedom? Freedom! What are you talking about?"

Dr. Stone said nothing and in the pit of his stomach, Cyborg understood. Dr. Stone's blue eyes shook in his head as his jaw and shoulders trembled out of his control. Cyborg stared down at his father and saw the twisted mess that he had become… the twisted mess he might become if he stayed in Brock County for another moment longer.

"I don't know where I'm going. I'm just going to go. Maybe to a big city, maybe to another country. Just away from here… away from everything I used to be. I'm not coming back Dad. So take a good luck at what you created… this is what you made your son into. You better be able to live with it… because I have no choice."

True to his word, Cyborg didn't look back once. He walked for days it seemed. He remembered falling asleep and remembered reading a sign that said Welcome to Jump City.

The welcome he got was being caught in the crossfire two kids who liked capes and what could only be called a pile of goo. It hadn't taken long for him to recognize Batman's ward and thus recognized which side belonged to the good guys, which lead to Cyborg committing his first act of super herory.

The dark one, Raven, was impressed with him and immediately offered him a place on their team. He had initially turned it down, not wanting to be a third wheel, but there had been a look on Raven's face that made him change his mind. They took him to their home, which seemed way too big to serve as a birds' nest. Robin told him that they were collecting a team and when Cyborg asked him for what purpose; Robin twisted his mouth in that cocky way that he did and told him that Plasmus was the least of this city's problems.

Cyborg had fit in well, the science behind Titans' Tower gave him a drive to better understand and utilize the powers and limitations of his present condition. The strength of villainy of Jump City gave him distraction and the duties of being a team member let him become something else, something that didn't run, something that didn't have anything to run from.º

…

Bumble Bee's fingers flashed over the keys of the console that Omicron left behind. Her lovely eyes moved from screen to screen, taking in the readings and codes with the familiarity of being Omicron's partner since they were fifteen. At twenty four, she had gotten quite good at it.

"It's totally operational," Bumble Bee began, her fingers never slowing over the keys of the outpost. "It's been modified to monitor Raven, Nightwing, Sparky, Sakura, Arsenal, Star, Tempest, Blackfire, Jinx and D'ucel… I guess she knew that with her gone that I'd stay back to take over the console… She also sent a message to Hot Spot and Kid Flash to come and guard Jump City while we're occupied…"

"She left us her system for a purpose. She did not want us unprepared." Starfire said.

"Or unprotected. The only thing she didn't do was program our next coordinates, because she didn't know them."

"I do." Raven said. Raven had changed clothes, changed mind states and changed attitude. Her whole life she had been calming the destructive power in her arsenal, but now she was prepared to use ever ounce of her demonic heritage to destroy the darkness in her universe. Her short, brown leather skirt fit over her sleeveless gray leotard. The gauntlet on her left arm was dark gray and the protector on her right arm was brown leather as well. Her black boots had gray protectors at the heel. Every part of her garb reflected the true warrior's fight she was preparing for.³ "Slade told me 'let them lead the way' and he pointed to his mark of Scath."

"So what does that mean?" Arsenal asked.

"We're going to the underground temple of Scath."

"You mean that creepy library that makes you glow in the dark?" Cyborg asked.

"For whatever reason, Slade is acting as the highest rank in the minions of Trigon. He has all their knowledge, all their resources and all their fury for this world… all that culminates to one thing, to one place… the place where the highest order works. The pedestal where the Gem was created is where we'll find the end of the Slade Syndicate."

Nightwing nodded his head. His team understood.

"Titans. Go."

…

ºHe rarely knew who to expect when he went to answer the door. In the business of butlery, it was not an unusual affair to have his manor approached by solicitors or warm wishers or those who were particularly annoying; and as a result, he had built up both a sugary manner of dealing with the unwanted and a rather abrasive, though always polite, tone to dealing with those who interrupted his affairs with an appearance that would be nothing more than a nuisance to his master.

_Of course_, Alfred mused as he moved to answer the door; _it was rarer still that someone arrives at the front door without being arraigned at the entrance gates_. Whomever it was, was on particularly important business or very good at evading the world's most sophisticated surveillance equipment. If it were the former, Alfred thought it would be rather odd that he wasn't made aware of such a guest previously. If it were the former, he would very much like to meet him.

Alfred moved, in that cool, confident, noble-English manner that he did and answered the door. What he found at the door was a guest of most unparallel esteem at the Wayne manor and it had taken no manner of creativity to understand why he was not informed of said guest's appointment.

She didn't need one.

"Mistress Sakura… you are… well."

Sakura nodded and bowed respectively. "Hai. I am well Alfred. It is very good to see you again."

"Yes, yes it is madam. Please, please come in." Alfred ushered the young woman into the manor. Sakura let him take her bag before the gentlemen led her to her father's study.

Bruce Wayne had one bad habit, which he indulged in the privacy of his study. He chewed on his pens. Alfred told him, as he grew up in his care, that he would ruin his smile. Luckily, his indulgences hadn't mangled his impeccable physique with something so unfortunate as a less than perfect smile.

He only chewed his pen when he was thinking about something that affected his conscious. Not an hour ago he had spoken to Babs Gordon and the conversation had gone as he had expected, which was to, say not well. Bruce Wayne had done his best to appease Barbara into accepting the complications of one Richard Grayson's release from his direct influence. Bruce Wayne could handle terrorists, economical super powers and socialites so wanton and offensive that it was hard to breathe, but one thirteen year old vigilante in training could shake him better than most could hope for.

The Boy Wonder had met Raven on January fifth of the year he turned fourteen. It hadn't taken minutes after Batman's refusal of her proposition for Robin to decide that the opportunity was better suited for the combat equipped, kung fu trained, one man teen army. Their relationship had been shaking, often to the bare bones and when the dark mystic came looking for help, Robin saw it as an opportunity to close the wound by separating themselves enough to decrease their privileges to pick at it. And for the most part, it had worked. They didn't contact one another often; Bruce worried and Robin was loyal, but they respected each other and trusted the other to be the best man each was capable of.

That had been just under a year ago, but it was January again and for the second time in a row, Gotham had been unseasonably warm, but brutally windy. Bruce Wayne stood in his study, an expensive and flat tasting pen resting within the grip of his teeth. He needed to complete his proposal and finalize his agenda before he left for his conference with General Surge Fletcher about the AGU-JL's upcoming infiltration into the H.I.V.E. academy. Bruce had originally considered volunteering the services of Batgirl for the operation team, but after the verbal abuse he had just endured, he concluded that Babs Gordon, as of that moment, didn't have the emotional capacity to participate in such an important mission.

Bruce Wayne was a man who knew very little about very few things; his keen intellect and pension for detail kept him enthralled in his business, all of his businesses, and had for some time. It was that dedication that made personal connections something of a reckless affair. He had been in love once or twice, had great bonds with great people, but simple friendships were something that he found he could not hold onto. He couldn't hold onto Barbara Gordon, even though he had trained her extensively for the last two years, he knew very little about her character. _Perhaps_, he mused, as he rolled his pen over his tongue, moving the instrument from the left side of this mouth to the right, _perhaps it's the complications of the female gender that I cannot fully comprehend. _

Perhaps because he lacked the complicated riot of maternal instinct, that he didn't feel the abandons women felt when dear friends and loves went away. Mayhaps it was the result of his personal issues that blocked out the instruction that all women were programmed to express: the desire to protect and covet. Indeed, Bruce Wayne had the opposite instinct: to let things grow. Bruce Wayne had the capacity to push because he had faith. He had faith in one Richard Grayson and until the moment his study door swung open, he had faith in one Sakura Chloe Wayne.

She could have been an angel from the vision she made, though her cheek was a bit dirty and she had a weapon strapped to her back like a traveling demon slayer would. She had features that had once haunted his dreams; the slant in her eyes, the narrowness of her chin and brow and more importantly her eyes, his eyes, that simple shade of brown that was so dark that it was nearly a rival for the night.

"Sakura."

The sixteen year old girl smiled simply. "Father." She dropped her weapon and bowed respectively. As she moved to bend earthward, Bruce Wayne moved forward and when she rose skyward, she found that he was only two feet away from her. Her brown eyes, met his, the same color, different shape, equally hard, but at that moment, equally joyful.

"It worked." Bruce whispered.

"Hai. The Baek Temple's conditioning was successful." She lied.

Bruce grabbed his daughter in a sensitive and fearful hold that surprised them both. Sakura's cheek was crushed against her father's chest; his powerful arms wrapped around her shoulders and held her tightly to him. She couldn't breath, but she had no plans in pulling away.

Two years ago, the Gabriel Jericho had given her a magnificent power and with it, he had given her life. Sakura studied her form, learned the secrets of intense meditation and recognized the gift she was provided had great potential. What she hadn't done was forgotten what she had promised Jericho: to stand strong beside those who were strong.

Bruce released his hold on his daughter, but keeping contact with her; whether his fingers on her cheeks or his palm on her shoulder. He spoke kindly to her, his gaze comforting and strong. The way his body moved as he moved her, to walk her through the corridors of his manor, their manor, as they spoke, was beautiful like art. Bruce Wayne, despite his prowess and legacy for being a playboy was a man who was meant for children: it was why he had been so brave with Richard Grayson and why Sakura Chloe Wayne would want nothing for protection, love and freedom, should she decide to let him go.

They moved though the manor, memories of childhood were strong for Bruce as he traveled through the mansion that had been his for the entirety of his life. For Sakura, memories of her childhood were strong as well, but it had nothing to do with the manor.

"I had a dream." Sakura declared in the first silence of their reunion. "It was prophetic, I believe." She was being dishonorable with her word choice, but she understood that secrets were sometimes necessary and the complications of Jericho's powers required her to be as generous with her recollection of history as possible.

Bruce listened, moving their progression towards the southwestern hall. "What was it?" He asked.

"I had a vision and it told me… that now that I have… recovered, I have great responsibility to combat against the evils present before those I care for the most." Sakura responded.

Bruce Wayne smiled, closing his eyes. "The responsibility of light is why shadows matter." Sakura frowned, but Bruce went unaffected, flipping a switch behind his head that opened Sakura to a world she was only slightly unprepared for.

The letters between Sakura and Bruce over the last three years weren't terribly detailed: Sakura had very little to say and there was very little that Bruce could say about the present state of his affairs, because so many of them were tied into the secretive things he did in the cover of darkness. Sakura often asked about her brother and often in Bruce's replies he would respond that 'Robin was fine'.

She didn't fully comprehend what he meant until she stepped into the Bat Cave.

"We all see images, in our dreams, in our minds or hearts, that come to us… for us to understand what we are meant to be. Many fall to the tragedy of looking the other way or failing to take the steps to fully explore our potential and worse still, some of us forget those images and turn to lives of destruction." Sakura listened to her father's words as she looked through the display glasses and high-tech equipment in his layer. She didn't have much of an appreciation for technology, but to be honest, she felt something akin to awe as she listened to him weave his words. "Sometimes, the only thing separating us from our enemies is a bad day."

Sakura's eyes locked on the emblem of virtue that she recognized even without prior knowledge. The bat suit was locked in a crystalline display, the utility belt and developed weaponry were laid out before her eyes to admire.

"I am vengeance… I am the night… I am…"

"Batman." Sakura finished. "It explains why you are so secretive, Father. Your many lives… it is complicated."

Bruce nodded in agreement before standing side by side with his shorter daughter. She was only a girl, standing at just above five feet seven and growing, though she looked quite small under his six foot plus shadow.

"If your dream led you to stand beside the righteous, it has led you back to me." Bruce responded.

Sakura's brown eyes moved from the display case that was lonely with a singular uniform, to one not far from her vision. It was a display case with three uniforms: first, another Batman garb, to the right a similar garb but decidedly feminine in cut, then to the left, a brightly colored uniform, cut for a male with talents to warrant such a bright outlook. Sakura's eyes were locked on that uniform. Bruce followed his daughter's gaze to the uniforms of Batman, Batgirl and Robin.

"The bright one," Sakura began, "It stands out… It doesn't seem to belong."

Bruce nodded in the affirmative. "Your brother felt the same way."

"Where is he?" She asked.

"He left, a year ago, to direct a team in Jump City."

"Jump City?"

"Yes, a metropolis that is the light to Gotham City's darkness."

"It's the light that I seek." Sakura replied.

In the reflection of the glass, below the rainbow glare of the overhead light striking and staining the glass, Sakura could see the look of… disappointment? on her father's face. "It was a year ago," Sakura began to clarify, "I've had the ability to walk for two years father and before I could even think to come back here, I knew I needed to improve my skill. I traveled, back to China. I don't know what I was looking for. But I found something: two people. A boy and a girl who were my age: his name was Bushido and her name was Jade… they were going to seek someone named the True Master."

"Chu-hui." Bruce supplied.

"You know of her?" Sakura asked.

"I studied beneath her."

Sakura ingested that information. "I traveled with them and spared with them when we were reckless in our travels. Though I could best them, the margin of victory was limited… even more so when I challenged the skills of the Bear, the Snake and the Monkey. When I trained with Chu-hui, that margin wasn't there at all."

Bruce listened thoughtfully, taking in every ounce of his daughter's story as her fingers touched the pane of glass that held in his alter ego. "I know in my heart that I must become an assistance to my brother and the life course that he's chosen. Somehow I know that it is him that I must stand beside… but before I can do that, I have to become stronger for him and in my heart I know, that the only way I can do that is to stand beside you, father."

The man behind the incarnation of vengeance understood. "Has your heart told you how long?"

Sakura shook her head in the negative. "Father, I hope you to feel the anxiety of separation that I have felt for you. The bond of blood, it feels to be a powerful one."

Bruce nodded.

"I feel it through both sides; through you, Father, and through mother. It is why…"

"Don't explain yourself Sakura. You don't need to. I understand. Regardless of where your body rests at night, you are my daughter."

Sakura nodded before turning her eyes upwards again to the locked emblem of Gotham's righteousness. _And in that strength, I feel connection, Father. Through each of our skills we must fight the battles closest to our hearts. Your history, your strengths and weaknesses lie within the streets of Gotham City…_

_Mine lie in the promise to my Dear Brother to always stand._º

…

It felt hot to him. The air, the ground, everything that touched his skin was uncomfortable. He could feel it moving through the platform beneath them, the kinetic energy traveled into his skin, into his nervous system and it stayed put there… but he pressed on.

Nightwing couldn't describe what he was feeling or why. He simply knew that something was happening in the walls and air around him. He didn't know what it was, but had to be ready for it.

This place held memories. This place held truth and this place held consequence. Nearly seven years ago the actions of Trigon and Slade had brought his team to this place, lead them in a foot race towards the truth that had eluded them. And now, it was barely different. Some of the players had changed and for the most part, this time, they knew what it was that they were running to.

They were going to the end.

Their lives were tied to this; the world was tied to the fight they were heading for. But none of them were thinking about the world. Their foot steps quaked the loose stones and dust beneath their feet, those that couldn't fly hammered the noise of their pace as they moved forward, because there was no turning back.

They were all running forward, because the next steps were what held their futures. They had experienced the past, understood the present and moved to the future because no matter what the outcome, the future was what was coming.

Arsenal had opportunity, something he hadn't been afforded much as a child, and he wasn't going to give it up readily. Blackfire had peace, a calm she found readily in Tempest's arms. Starfire and D'ucel had potential, the ability to see things differently. Cyborg, Tempest and Jinx had comfort. Nightwing had hope, that the pain of consequence could be deafened. Raven had memory; that beautiful things could happen, that things could change.

When the Titans were officially the Titans, that is, when Starfire became the member number five, Cyborg had fit into the role of big brother rather easily. He was the antagonistic older brother to Robin, the relatable older brother to Beast Boy, the sensitive older brother to Starfire and the understanding older brother to Raven. But if Victor K. Stone was to be honest with himself, Raven was just as much an understanding sibling to him as he was to her. Raven had the ability to bring Cyborg back to earth. Sometimes he wondered if that relationship went both ways, because it was rare that Raven was in state that left her with her feet far from the ground. The team was running forward and it finally occurred to the cybernetic hero that Raven had been running her entire life, just like he had, except she never ran away. Sometimes she hid, sometimes she tried to pretend, but Raven always met the fight of her life head on. It made her a better woman than he was a man, in truth her life was many degrees darker than his, but instead of breaking, Raven fought, she moved, she challenged the wicked things that wanted to hurt her, hurt all of them and she did it with more than a wounded body; she had a wounded mind and a wounded heart. He had always respected the dark bird, but he was truly understanding her, after years of playing the part, and that meant that he had to be stronger, faster, better and immediately.

Jinx kept a particular hex locked between the grip of the index and middle fingers of her left hand as she moved with the team steadily through the chamber to the gem pedestal. The temple was old, as old as the wars between Doomgaze and Trigon, as old as the epic battles of Azars, as old demon churches went. The power was damaging, and while she didn't have the demonic strength of Raven or Washu or Trigon and Doomgaze themselves, she did have a power, the power to contain the strength of things stronger than her. Between her fingers was a ward, a powerful one that she had only learned a year ago in the libraries of the Azar Sabrah. Jinx had to admit that she did not like this Azar, the one whose name was Water, who was born under the same sign as Astarte herself and had been afforded greater strengths, because she wasn't born with a brother to lose. Jinx's strength didn't lie within the magnitude of her arsenal, instead it lied in the diversity of her powers: her powers could move and change with her attitude and her internal sense of righteousness.

Raven meditated daily to maintain her composure, Jinx exercised her skills in hopes of losing it.

The Titans were a team divided, between the fearful, the vengeful and the merciful, but they traveled together towards one goal. The hollow chambers leading to the highest temple of Scath were littered with shadows that flickered from their bodies in motion. Whether the light was green, blue or purple, the shadows against the walls were black.

Starfire flew to the right to guard the eastern border, Blackfire took the western edge and Foxfire brought up the rear. They were all running forward, all looking to the northern path and none of them thought to protect beneath them.

It was Nightwing. The target was Nightwing and the seeker found him effortlessly. The other Titans has barely reacted to the Earth splitting open and leveling, pushed away by the superior might of cruel, grey magic. It snaked out in a direct pattern, the fan of the magic pushed the others up and outwards, while a single tendril latched around Nightwing's ankle with the intention to pull. Cyborg dove in and tried to rescue Nightwing, but his black crowned head slipped under the earth before the cybernetic fighter could grab a hold.

"Nightwing!"

Raven dove to the floor, inches away from Cyborg's worried face. "Richard!" Her eyes flashed white and a cyclone of her black energy pooled beneath her body, beneath Cyborg's, to the ground through which Nightwing had disappeared. Without hesitation her hand sunk into the platform and pulled. The air around them became thick with Raven's will power, the black magic spooling out and dashing around her team. It was hard to tell if she was struggling, or if the grimace on her face was pure determination. It didn't matter; she had one concern: she would not let anyone else she loved fall victim to the plotting of Washu.

Her movements mimicked something Cyborg and Starfire had seen before. It was a trick used by Slade to vanish from the repercussions of Raven's appearance. Except now it wasn't a run, now it was Washu pulling the team forward at his pace and Raven was having none of it.

Raven's powers worked. Nightwing grabbed hold of Cyborg's outstretched and became free of the lock of Washu's magic. Raven's energy dispersed and the white flare in her eyes sunk away.

"You okay, man?" Arsenal asked.

Nightwing shook the cobwebs from his head before nodding in the affirmative.

"Please be careful." Starfire stated gently.

"Yeah, right… I saw them." Nightwing responded.

"Saw them?"

"Washu and Slade… they're below us waiting at the gem pedestal." Nightwing replied.

"We can cut our danger by going through this floor rather than traveling through the entire temple." Tempest suggested.

"No." Raven stated firmly. "The Slade Syndicate wants us there… and we're going… but we're going at our own speed. I've had enough of falling into the Syndicate's traps."

"Are you sure this isn't a trap? Did you beat Washu's grip on Nightwing or did he let him go?" Arsenal asked.

Raven didn't answer and Nightwing got to his feet. "Maybe we should think about this," Arsenal continued. "Washu is smart and powerful and with Slade on his side too… there's no limit to what he knows and what he could do… That first time, he neutralized your powers Raven. What's going to stop Washu from locking your power again?"

Raven turned to her team, all of them except Nightwing and Jinx were looking straight at her expectantly; Nightwing looked at her from the side. Jinx crossed her slender arms over her chest. "The same thing that prevented him the last time." Raven answered.

"That being?" Tempest asked.

"Me."

The team's collective eye shifted to the pink eyed hex artist. Her eyes were steady and her balance rested evenly on her elevated heels. Standing toe to toe with Raven, it was hard to recognize that there was another strong power on their side. Jinx had always been formidable, as far as the Titans were concerned, but even in their limited engagements they knew that Jinx's abilities could stand up against the might of the Slade Syndicate, but only when they had the element of surprise on their side. Now they had no such thing and it was appreciably difficult to recognize the breath of her powers.

"You can stop Washu?" Blackfire asked.

"Not stop, block." Jinx replied.

She turned on her heel and her movements forward prompted them all to follow.

"My powers aren't measured in magnitude as it is with other demons, especially not in order that you measure Raven's or Washu's. Mine are different because they rely on a different weapon."

"Weapon?" D'ucel asked.

"Do any of you understand the principle of the sword of the mind?" Jinx asked.

Raven said nothing, she knew that Jinx knew that she knew. Cyborg, Arsenal, Tempest and the Tameranians shook their heads in the negative as Jinx expected. She was surprised to see that Sakura and Nightwing knew what she spoke of.

"You know of the Mesamune?" Jinx asked.

"Hai. Our mentor, Feng Law, told us of it as children." Sakura replied.

Jinx's brow furrowed, but went on to clarify for those who knew nothing of which she spoke. "Mesa means to brave. Mune means to know. These two principles, bravery and knowledge, are the great strengths of consciousness in the mind of demons. In man they are one and those of us who are of half demon blood must practice and meditate to make the essence of bravery and knowledge into one piece in ourselves. When this is done, we have reached the maximum of our powers."

"That is a consequence of your birth as well, Jinx?" Starfire asked.

"Actually, no. That is where Raven and I differ and why our powers are so different. I was born with the sword of my mind intact. It was a complication… a flaw in my birth."

"Your twin." Raven responded.

"Yes, because my brother, Tetris, was born, I was not created in the image of most demon sires… Raven was and so was Tetris. They grow, grew stronger as they try, tried to make the Mesamune in their souls. It is much easier to conquer the mind with wickedness rather than valor. It is why Raven has struggled with her powers for so long. She could have easily given into the dark seed of Trigon's power… it is the will of demon blood to conquer, had it not been for the differences in our births, I would have the same struggle."

"What will happen to Raven if she makes the Mesamune in her mind?" Blackfire asked.

"Will you be stronger or more vulnerable?" Nightwing asked.

"I don't know." Raven asked.

"Jinx?"

"I don't know either. Raven and I are different with what we can do and what will become of us… I was a tool of Doomgaze and remain so due to the flaw in my birth. Raven, however, is a weapon of Trigon… she's reusable, unless we brake that hands that wield her." Jinx didn't have to say that it would take much more than a broken hand to end the cruelty of the Slade Syndicate and their masters.

Starfire couldn't help but notice that the phantom fighters they had encountered in their previous sojourn into the temple of Scath were no present. She recalled distinctly that the spirits did not appear until Raven had exited the path. She could not decide whether or not to voice her question to whether it was who Raven was or the strength she possessed that kept the Raphes at bay. She moved forward, her starbolt glowing brightly to lead their way.

The careening boulder was bathed in green light.

The speed and size of the dashing boulder was more than to cripple the fight in all of them. Before Starfire or even Raven could think to react, Sakura moved forward into the direct path of the stone. She inhaled deeply before bending her knees just slightly, giving a fierce pivot of her hips to draw momentum to the balled fist she used to backhand the dashing boulder. The blow was enough to change the course of the giant stone, the condensed mass of earth was hurled to the right, crashing into the chamber wall, splintering into dozens of pieces. Most of the other Titans had watched in awe at Sakura's display of strength, but Nightwing, Raven and Jinx stared straight ahead into the eyes of Terra Nostra.

…

Slade rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he and Washu waited. From the look on Washu's face, the Titans had fallen predictably into their traps. Washu was not a man of emotion, technically he wasn't a man. Regardless of semantics, Washu was not the kind of creature to let his face project his mindset. However, it appeared that he was pleased immensely with the missteps of one team of Titans.

It hadn't taken any convincing on Slade's part, with the devilish power of his tongue, to convince Terra Nostra that she wanted to fight. The girl grieved vengefully. When she hurt, the whole world felt her wounds. When she lost control, she was more dangerous than anything he had ever seen… and he knew without a trace of doubt that control was the last thing on her mind. All she was concerned with was revenge: for herself, against the Titans. What made Terra exceptionally dangerous was her inability to see the bigger picture. In her mind, she was the queen's piece, she was the mighty, the formidable, the epicenter of the master plan. In truth, she was a pawn with exceptional longevity.

Slade knew exactly why Washu had let Terra move ahead with what she thought was her great plan for vengeance. Washu believed that Terra was going to get herself killed. What he didn't know was whether she'd destroy anyone else. In truth, Washu was concerned with only four Titans: Nightwing and Raven to use, Sakura and Jinx to punish. If the others failed to live, so be it and Slade himself could not summon his humanity to ponder in favor of the others' welfare. His intrigue in the Titans had reached its threshold; he had played enough games, the satisfaction of mentally and physically and emotionally abusing the Titans was on the order of negligible. He had gone far too long without his flesh and blood and he wanted it back.

He wanted it back more than being in the mental darkness of Nightwing, wanted it more than being the nightmare that kept him awake at night. Nightwing no longer possessed the itch of uncertainty and potential that fascinated him anymore.

Neither did Terra Nostra, but the difference between the pair is that he cared whether Nightwing lived or died. With the end of her secondary element, Terra no longer had a true purpose in the Slade Syndicate. Really, there was no longer a purpose for the Syndicate to exist. It was formed to enact a specific plan and with that plan a failure, the union forged no longer had any relevance. Slade knew it and Washu knew it and that was why Slade allowed Washu to push Terra towards the welcoming arms of her demise. Washu no longer saw a purpose in Terra's life. With Nightwing and Raven coming, Washu had all he needed and Slade would get everything he wanted.

…

Blue eyes bored into amethyst. Blue eyes traveled past brown eyes and masked eyes, past all the eyes that were bright and hard and angry. It was hard for any of them to decide, for any of them to know, which among the Slade Syndicate was the greatest monster: was it Washu for his plots, Slade for his plans or Terra for her execution? For some, the scale tipped towards Washu, for others it tipped closer to Slade, but for Sakura and Raven, the balance fell in the eyes of Terra Nostra.

Wrapped in a thick, woolen leotard of brown and red, it didn't take more than a glare to tell them all that she wanted to fight. Against the eerie energy of the temple grounds, her blonde hair floated in the wind. She could have been beautiful if not for the murderous intent in her eyes. The air moved around the Titans, pushing long hair forward as it moved Terra's behind her back.

Time would pass: seconds, minutes, eons and a million different hateful words were exchanged between their eyes. For hard breathing moments, they all stood perfectly still, until Terra pointed a finger at them. She retracted the finger, but not the outstretched arm, instead twisting her fist towards to the ground, her thumb extended. Then she retracted the arm, bringing her fist back towards her own neck running the extended thumb across her throat.

The message was received. Raven stepped forward to accept the gauntlet. Her forward momentum halted when Sakura put her hand on Raven's shoulder to move her out the way. Raven shook her off. Sakura shook her head.

"You're going to need all your strength to fight Washu. You know that, Raven."

"Don't tell me what I know and what I need! I can't let her live." Raven grit out between her teeth."

"Nor can I." Sakura replied. "I have my own prophecy to fulfill."

Raven's eyes became very dark. Jinx moved beside the pair, close enough to speak her words. "Raven, we need to defeat Washu more than this. We may never get this chance again."

Raven's dark look ran over the top half of her face, locking her eyes in shadow. Her hand shot out and caught Sakura's chin in a firm grip. The half-demoness stared into Sakura's eyes until Sakura looked away.

"What will you do?" Raven asked.

Sakura couldn't bare to think what Raven saw or didn't see or what the tiny remnants of Holy in her body had managed to hide from the gaze of Raven. She may not have powers but she had her fists and her righteousness and that was enough.

Sakura turned from Raven's grip to stared back into the treacherous eyes of Terra. She stepped forward by exactly one step and felt the ground explode under her foot. Her stare was steady as she pointed at her opponent.

"No." Terra replied. "I don't care about any of you. I want Raven."

"You can get your chance at her, if you make it through me." Sakura replied. Sakura stepped forward by exactly one step, blocking Raven from Terra's line of sight. "You and me, Terra: just you and me. No warriors. No Titans. No powers."

The other Titans gasped, listening to Sakura's challenge. This wasn't a Sakura they had ever seen before. They had never heard such darkness in her voice, never saw such pride in her shoulders and she had always been a proud fighter. Arsenal's brow furrowed as he dropped the sight of his bow to stare quizzically at Sakura's back. Nightwing stared as well. Sakura didn't move a muscle even as Terra laughed in her face from across the room.

"No powers? Is that your proof? Is that how you think you can prove that you're better than me? Oh, wait, I see! Are your powers getting weaker? Is it still a struggle to control them?" Terra didn't attempt to keep the depreciating laughter from her tone.

Sakura sneered, her knuckles cracking beneath the guard of her gloves. It had been nearly a decade since the last time she had donned leather gloves to protect her hands for a fight that would involve her full fury. The leather cried against itself as the muscles in its bound squeezed and relaxed and squeezed again.

Raven and Jinx listened to Sakura's words over the theatrics of her body. "I want you." Sakura said, pointing again at the wicked geomancer. "Not the earth and my Holy doesn't care for your life. I do… I'm going to do what your fists tried to do to me. You took five years of my life."

Terra laughed again. "What? Do you want them back? Get over it and get over you. Fighting you won't give me any satisfaction at all."

It was hard for the Titans, all of them, to hear Terra speak with an air of sickening superiority. Blackfire wanted to attack, Starfire wanted to charge, Nightwing desired nothing more than to rip her apart for all that she had done to all the people who mattered to him. But they all saw it; they all felt it, that this fight was nothing on the grander scale of the universe, no matter how much it was emotionally tied to all of them.

They knew that Terra was strong; they knew that Terra was wicked; they knew that Terra's hatred of Sakura rivaled only her hate for Raven and the only one of them could stay behind to fight Terra because Washu and Slade were the nightmare they had to erase immediately.

"Fine."

Their collective attention returned to Terra. The geomancer weaved her hips to shift her weight to her left leg. Her right hand dangled loosely at her side as the fingers of her left hand pressed into her hip. Arsenal's brow furrowed, his eagle eye catching the shift in her features, the way her eyes were moving, the read from her body. _She's unstable… _

"I'll fight you Sakura and I'll destroy you… then I'll crush Blackfire and Nightwing and then I'll go for Raven. I want her to suffer to her last breath. I was going to work my way down the list," Terra raised her palm, "Blackfire," Terra ticked down her pinky. "Nightwing," Terra ticked down her ring finger. "Sakura," Her middle finger dropped. "Raven." When the last finger dropped, her pinky finger rose starting a goodbye wave between each individual finger. "But if you want to hasten your end… You don't value your life do you Sakura? You wouldn't have lost five years if you---"

"Do I have your word as a woman? No powers?" Sakura cut in.

Terra rolled her eyes before nodding.

"Let them pass and we'll fight." Sakura said.

They all understood at the moment that something was wrong when Terra waved them to pass. This Terra was different; this wasn't the sinister, manipulative geomorph that they had once known. This one was driven and mad and just as dangerous. Nightwing stared at his sister who waited for the Titans to make their way deeper into the temple. His worry was plain on his face and the other Titans were in various stages of uncertainty.

Raven's eyes shifted between the woman she hated and the woman she trusted and saw a dangerous situation that was brewing before she even let it begin… because she had to be the one to let this happen. She could go for Terra Nostra and push her team forward to fight Washu and Slade and hope that when she was done erasing Terra from this world that there would be enough fight left in Nightwing and Starfire and Cyborg and the others to stop the destruction of the future. She could take that risk for all their lives or do what she had done with her daughter and believe that Sakura was strong enough to stand on her own. It was the wreck of potential that made Raven stand side by side with Arsenal as she waved the rest of the team forward. Jinx lead the charge cautiously and Nightwing took up the rear.

Raven and Sakura watched their friends move around the impassive guard of Terra.

"She's unstable." Arsenal said, bringing the women's attention forward. "And she never could be trusted."

Raven's purple eyes shifted to Sakura's brown ones. "I've seen her in moments more dangerous than you can fathom, Sakura. I know you're a woman of your honor and for whatever reason; you've chosen this fight, this way. If she uses her full fury of the earth, you won't survive."

Sakura kept Raven's gaze. "I'm not going to throw my life away."

"This won't give the time back."

"And you know that just as well as I do." Sakura replied.

Sakura stared into Raven and Raven matched her eyes. The moon-pale mystic saw something in Sakura's face that she had never seen before, didn't even know what to call it. But it was there and she would have to trust it, endure it, until there was no longer a fight. "What will you do if she breaks her word?"

Sakura looked down very briefly. Her eyes were cautious even under her thick lashes. The brown color was hard in her determination, even as her words broke her heart. "Then it isn't my fight anymore."

Raven didn't fully understand and wouldn't understand until Sakura told her, but from the square in her jaw and the twist of the muscles under her gloves she knew that the half-Japanese, Holy wielder was going to say nothing. She didn't like it, but it would have to be enough. "This fight is more mine than yours, but I leave it in your hands. When she brings her powers, she'll bring my power as well."

Sakura nodded slowly. Arsenal dropped his chin. "I'll stay behind to make sure Terra doesn't use her power."

Raven turned to the agile archer. "What's going to stop her from using them on you?"

"You are." Arsenal replied. He pulled an arrow from his hustler and handed it to her. "That's a tracking arrow. Use a bit of your energy on it. When I shot it, it will find you."

Raven took the golden bolt between her fingers. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her black might pooled around the bolt and changed the color from bright to the color of darkness. Arsenal took the bolt back and strung it against the bow.

"It can travel through Hell and high water and everything in between, Raven. If I shoot it, you'll know."

Raven nodded. Arsenal turned to his girlfriend and Raven turned to her as well. Sakura nodded before turning her gaze to Terra. Arsenal stepped back and Raven closed her eyes before shifting into the pure energy of her soul self and teleporting forward to catch up with her team.

Her motion made the wind sing. Sakura rolled her neck and cracked a few vertebrae before unstrapping her hiraikotsu and pulling it into an offensive grip. Terra wagged her finger.

"Pft. I thought this was a fight of your fists against mine, Sakura. You've got all your protection and you're ready to cheat before we even begin."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the blond geomorph. Her grip didn't change as she spun her wrist just once to give her weapon the momentum to drive her hiraikotsu, with the turn of her palm, into the bury of the ground to her left. The weapon stood in firmly, the motion displaying rocks and dirt, the weapon standing erect when Sakura relaxed her grip. The martial-arts master stepped forward by exactly one step and stared at her opponent.

"Okuyo?"

She didn't wait for a reply.

…

Jinx was sick to her stomach. Something was wrong. Her feet slowed and the Titans behind her slowed as well. They couldn't feel it, but she could. She could feel something, something she couldn't put a name to, something strong, and something coming their way.

"Jinx, what is it?" Tempest asked.

"You've been here once?" Jinx asked.

"We have." Starfire answered.

"Were these idols always here?" Jinx pointed to the graven images against the walls. They were statues, all dark in gray slabs of stone. The lines of their bodies were hard, their pain filled and angry faces were etched deeply, cut finely with hands that were skilled and calm and patient, as if that horrible grimace was his life's work.

"Not those, no. The ones we saw were different. They were hooded and didn't have faces." Cyborg replied.

"I know those faces." Jinx whispered. "They're the same four repeating faces. Bruhiki, Doomgaze, Isarnes and the mask of Scath. The four demon kings… What have you done?" Jinx whispered into the air.

"Who?" Blackfire asked.

"What are you talking about Jinx?"

Jinx blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog from her mind. She wasn't sure, she didn't understand, she didn't know why the idols mattered. There was something in the menace of their creation that she didn't know, couldn't know and felt it in the pit of her system that it would kill her if she ever came to know them.

"Jinx?"

"Nothing." The pink haired woman replied. "Nothing."

"I think this place is messing with Jinx too, the way that it messed with Rae the first time." Cyborg posited. He put a hand out to steady the hex artist and found a tension in her shoulder that ran all the way down to the grip of her hand. Without warning Jinx spun free of his grip and threw four paper hexes, one striking each of the demon kings images. The Titans watched worried, after a few seconds nothing happened. Their gazes turned back to Jinx.

Before they could voice their concern, voice their worry, Raven materialized before the group. It didn't take any words to tell her something was wrong. She could see it in Jinx's face as the normally steady half-demoness slumped weakly against Cyborg. The cybernetic crime fighter turned a worried eye between the two moon pale women.

"Raven, do you have any---"

Raven shook her head in the negative as she stared up at the hex marked idols standing stories above their heads. She knew those faces and knew that Washu would know that she and Jinx would recognize the demon kings when they saw them. What she didn't know was what had taken over Jinx's body in such a panic to make her sweat and faint… whatever it was, it wasn't concerned for Raven. Her marks weren't flaring, she didn't feel the hot rush of her demon blood when she was in the temple of her father's followers.

Raven moved forward and her team parted like holy waters. Her eyes scanned back and forth, locking from moment to moment on the idols of Trigon and Doomgaze.

"Raven, what do we do?" Nightwing asked as Cyborg scooped up the weakened Jinx.

"Be very careful." She said simply.

Raven moved forward and cautiously the others did as well. Starfire's starbolt lit the dark corners of their path as she and the others moved forward into powers they could not understand.

…

The fight song was in the air. It was fast and it was heavy. It added to the noise pollution of their grunts, their scuffling feet, their angry yells of war. Arsenal watched with his arrow trained. It was hard for him to stomach when Sakura received a blow, it was even harder to watch when she delivered one because somehow he knew that it would never be enough.

Water in the air moved around them, the pearls of color crashed against themselves, the beads of sweat dancing in the action of their war. Sakura had landed the first blow and the second and third. Her fist and elbows hammered out rapidly in a fluid motion that Terra had expected, but could do nothing about.

Terra wasn't as fast as Sakura, wasn't as strong, but she wasn't stupid and she wasn't helpless. Sakura's fist lashed out and Terra parried, dropping under the blow. Sakura's momentum pulled her forward into the rising uppercut of Terra's right hand. The blow off balanced the martial artist, twisting her body and knocking Sakura to the ground on her back. Sakura spun her hips in an aggressive maneuver, her legs lashing out in an arch to get to her feet, the whorl of her boots kept Terra at bay.

What frightened Arsenal in the exchange of blows was that they said absolutely nothing. In his heart, he couldn't be absolutely sure that Sakura was finding a resolution in the fight. She was battling in a way that he had never seen before. It was true that there were five years where he couldn't know anything new about her, to know the extremes of her desperation, but he loved her and knew her enough to know that this was a war that she had fought once before. He kept his eagle eye trained on Sakura as her body moved to punish Terra Nostra and saw what he had known all along about Sakura: that this woman was a fighter, in every inch and meaning of the word. He didn't know her code: didn't understand why she refused to wield her Holy, why she dared to leave her hiraikotsu behind. But she had done it and any consequences of her actions would have to be accepted.

…

They came in waves, but a single whip of her hand could wash them all away. Raven's leather skirt flapped against her thighs as her body shifted to sweep away the phantoms before her. Her eyes dashed against the cave walls quizzically. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she could feel it. It was coming.

"Starfire, Blackfire, give us more light." Raven demanded.

The Tameranian princesses and Tameran's Foxfire generated larger energy bolts that shot their lights higher upon the cave walls. They could all see that something was wrong, but not a single one of them could know what was happening: to Jinx and to the mind state of Raven.

"Is it Washu?" Tempest asked as he watched Raven's purple eyes and Jinx's pink eyes scan the walls above their heads.

In front of them were the multiple doorways that lead deeper into the temple labyrinth. The last time they were here, Nightwing had somehow known which door was the right one, had felt it in his stomach that there was only one way: and now, at that moment that he knew the path he needed to take, the same one leading to the same place, everything felt wrong, felt different.

"I don't know how he's done it… but Washu's power is influencing this place. He's seeping out of the walls, into the air, playing with our minds." Raven said.

"Washu has strong mental and metaphysical capabilities. He could kill us if he didn't need us alive." Jinx said. Jinx reached into her sleeve and retrieved an arrangement of hexes. She fanned them out to the team. "I suggest you all take one, especially those that Washu thinks are useless. It won't protect you, but it will make it much more difficult for him to destroy you."

Cyborg pressed his into the plate of his body, while Tempest wrapped his around his fist. The Tameranian trio threaded theirs against the lower reach of their backs in exactly the same spot.

"Our center of strength." Blackfire clarified to their inquisitive eyes.

Jinx turned to Nightwing and pressed one into each of his upper side arms. "He said your name in the transmission and given your history with Slade and Washu, you most of all need to be protected." Jinx clarified.

Raven's eyes wavered as the feral eyed demon daughter pressed the guards into Nightwing's uniform. Nightwing looked down at the paper protective curses before looking back to Jinx. "And Sakura?" He asked.

Raven said nothing. Jinx said nothing. Nightwing furrowed his brow then realized they weren't ignoring his question. Something else had come to their particular attention.

…

Terra slammed back first into the cave wall care of a double palm thrust delivered by Sakura. Her eyes closed on impact but opened quickly and openly widely as Sakura lashed forward again. Terra rolled just in time to avoid the punch aimed at her face. The echo of the blow struck Arsenal, even from the other side of the cave. The might of the strike forced a hole into the wall. Sakura pulled her fist back from the cave wound and cracked her knuckles. She turned her eyes to the side and found Terra moving and continued her chase.

Sakura's rush was a string of efficient moves. Her high leg lift caught Terra with her spinning heel smashing into the geomorph's jaw; the spin of her body put Sakura's hips in motion to deliver a thunder stomp with her right foot, cracking the earth beneath her feet and shifting the platform beneath Terra's weight. Terra staggered into a Razor's edge, Sakura's rising uppercut and rising knee both struck, hunching Terra forward into Sakura's war club. The string danced on as Sakura lashed in from underneath for a bow and arrow kick. Terra evaded the sneaking kicks, spinning to the right to avoid the contact. Sakura landed and turned to set herself for another launch. Terra caught Sakura with a spin kick. Sakura staggered giving Terra perfect aim for Sakura's exposed left thigh. The shot ripped a cry from Sakura's lips and put a smile on Terra's face. Terra drew back her left leg to deliver another blow to the abused limb. Sakura caught her attack. Terra's eyes widened as Sakura shifted their balance, standing up and making Terra hop on one foot. The hop lasted only a second before Sakura drew her free hand back and punched Terra square in the face. The force of the blow pulled Terra free from Sakura's grip and dragged her against the cave floor for several feet.

Terra gritted even as the ground smoothed out under her. She lifted her head up to see Sakura stalking forward, the ground jagged and uneven beneath her steps. Terra smirked and up kicked swiftly, bringing her back to her feet. The cave wall had been easy on Terra's back when she slammed into it and brutally tough when Sakura's fist had crashed into it. When Terra's straight kick smashed into Sakura's chest and knocked her to the floor, a jagged fragment of earth had dug into Sakura's spine. When Terra had fell, the ground was smooth and undamaging to her body.

And none of those things had been by coincidence.

Terra smirked as she watched the stone Sakura was using to pull herself to her feet crumble and stagger the fighter. Terra had cheated and had been since the beginning of the fight. All of them were small tricks, easy flexes of her power that didn't even take more than a thought to do. All of them were tiny and hardly noticeable. Arsenal was too far away to see them, but Terra suspected that Sakura did know what she was doing, but the half-Japanese fighter was too proud to call her on it.

It was that pride that Terra relied on.

Sakura's leg shot in an arch shot, aimed at Terra's hip. It was only a matter of dipping the ground just a bit to make the blow less dangerous and easier to tame. Terra caught the offending limb, locking Sakura's ankle in the crook of her arm. Terra smirked as Sakura hopped on her free foot, her eyes locked on Terra's. Before Terra could return the blow Sakura had given her, Sakura's free leg shot in a high arc, delivering an insaguri, the toe of her boot striking the side of Terra's head.

Both fighters fell backwards. Sakura landed on her stomach and rolled quickly in a series of tumbles that gave her enough running momentum to start another string of attacks. Terra held her throbbing head. Her vision blurred and the rage in her power flooded her vision. She could barely make out Sakura running at her with her fist drawn.

But she had seen enough.

She had had enough.

"LAAA!"

Sakura skid in shock as the ground beneath her shook. The ground upheaved around her and Terra and Arsenal in jagged splinters. Arsenal's eyes widened in shock as a boulder slammed into him from the side. He fell over solidly, gripping the bolt firmly against his bow, unleashing it as he watched Terra lift her arms to the air. A column of earth shot under Sakura and Terra like a rocket, raising them from the ground and into the air at least twelve stories. The narrow column waved and tilted under its own weight.

Sakura grabbed fiercely to the side of the column as the earth dropped out beneath her. Her feet dangled loosely, unable to find any purchase in the column body. Her gloved hands generated friction to keep her grip. The sweat poured from her face as she struggled to pull herself free.

"Pft." Terra snorted as she stalked forward. She stepped purposefully, not stopping until the toe of her left foot were on top of the fingers of Sakura's right hand. Sakura gritted her teeth as Terra squatted, keeping her weight on the digits crushed beneath her foot. "Now doesn't this look familiar? Isn't this the part where I drop you to your death? No weapon to save you this time. But at least your pretty Arsenal can watch you die."

Sakura's sneer ran into the hard look of her eyes. She was breathing hard and she knew what was coming.

Terra rolled her blue eyes. "At one point, I thought you and I could have been friends…" Terra muttered. "Then I remembered that friends are just enemies without the guts to destroy you… so, I guess… we never could have been friends after all."

The column shook to splinters and everything returned to the earth. They were too high and Terra was too cruel. She knew that there was no way Sakura could survive the fall. Her eyes looked out Sakura's wide-eyed expression as she dropped and dropped and dropped. Terra watched from the floating stone in her control as Sakura dropped behind the rain of rocks and slabs of stone headed for the earth below.

"Sakura!"

…

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat.**

It was hard to know who was the first to hear it, but they all heard it eventually, but Nightwing was the one who caught it. The black clad arrow struggled in his hand until he let it go and let it swim through the air to Raven. His masked eyes flashed to hers but could only see her for a second before she split into her soul self and vanished into the air.

Nightwing felt a sting in his heart.

**Beat, Beat Heartbeat.**

Jinx frowned deeply. Cyborg and the others understood. It couldn't have come at a worse time. They were only a single corridor from Gem pedestal, where Slade and Washu were waiting to deal their future a death card.

…

Arsenal ran forward and shot boulders to pieces trying to get a clear shot to snag Sakura from the air. Terra had other intentions. A boulder smashed into the ground not inches away from the agile archer's feet. The force of the blow hurled the red headed fighter backwards, slamming him back first into the cave wall. He rang the cobwebs from his head and looked up just in time to see the cave become crowded with the wings of a great, black bird.

The screech of her energy drew Terra's attention even as the layer of power blanketed around the cave. A claw extended and caught Sakura just a few seconds before she crashed into the ground. The energy let her go and the woman landed on her hands and knees. Sakura's scream of frustration echoed against the cave as she pounded the side of her fist into the stone beneath her.

Raven materialized in the air not feet away from where Terra floated in the air on her stone. They stared each other down unblinkingly before Terra narrowed her eyes and watched Raven descend to ground beside Sakura. Sakura felt the weight of Raven's shadow on her shoulders. Her breathing stayed hard and the tear slipped down her face as she knew what Raven would say.

Arsenal pulled himself up and retrieved Sakura's weapon before returning to her side. He knelt down beside her, catching her hand before she could slam it into the ground again. Her bones trembled, her chest ran up and down with powerful gusts of air that choked in her throat and mouth.

"Sakura. We have to go. We need to help the others." Arsenal said.

"She cheated, Sakura. You didn't lose."

Sakura shook her head in anger. She never could listen to anything she didn't want to hear. Arsenal pulled her to her feet and Raven stood as well, raising her eyes to the calamity in the sky above them. Raven glared daggers at the enemy in her sights. _For all that you have done… I will be the death of you_.

"Go join the others. You've done your part here. Keep them safe." Raven demanded.

Sakura nodded, but said nothing as she strapped her weapon to her back. There was nothing to say, no way to fight with words and no manner to catch up with just her fists.

"_**I do not ask you to fight great battles. I do not wish for you to give your life for the good of many, only that you stand beside others who are strong and good. In years to come, lives will be made and twisted in the flow of the inevitable… in the inevitable future… Holy may fall, but in the moments most desperate, life will always triumph if there is something to shelter it…"**_

Sakura didn't turn back to look as she ran with Arsenal to catch up with her team. It was why she didn't see the tremor dashing at her from behind. Before she and Arsenal could hear it, to alert them to turn and dive to safety, Raven's hand rose and a black wave intercepted and broke the tremor to a halt. She watched Sakura and Arsenal disappear down the corridor before looking up again into the eyes of Terra Nostra.

Cerulean met Amethyst in a gaze of hatred that made their blood boil.

The silence of the cave was cut in two by the battle cry of two women with the power to destroy the world with their rage. The only thing that would prevent that, was to destroy the other first.

…

Nightwing and Jinx stared forward past the space where Raven had last stood, and saw deep into the swell of the corridor. The other Titans waited nervously for someone, anyone to say something, to get something done.

"Should we go or should we wait?"

"Can we afford to wait?" Foxfire asked.

"Can we pose a threat without Raven?" Cyborg asked.

The answer echoed through the open corridor. His voice traveled in the echo, the venom in his words were menacing and evil and had always been. Nightwing felt his skin crawl with every single sound.

"No," Slade's voice projected simply. "Raven is the only one with the power of destruction… on your side. I don't expect you to win, I don't even expect you to survive… merely to endure. We possess a master plan, for which we only need two of you alive… we're not particularly against the survival of the rest of you, but if you so wish to stand against us, we're not against changing our minds."

Before the Titans could get angry, before they could think, before they could regroup, Nightwing ran forward into the corridor and the Titans followed without hesitation.

End of Part One.

A/N

¹Jinx's spin kick from Final Exam. Jinx really has great voice acting. Both she and Bumble Bee have the best female fight sounds.

²Just play Tekken 5 as Julia Chang or Wang Jinrey and string together all the cool moves you can to get a feel for Sakura's fighting style. The final move was Julia Chang's crossed arm suplex.


	57. The End pt2

The End

Part Two

ºFor Robin, being super was a matter of magnitude. He was the only one among them who was totally human: weak, flawed, insecure and always had something to prove… and he was better than all of them. And Raven knew it. She had known it all along.

Raven had always felt… something for Robin, from the very beginning. She mostly just passed it off as childish or dangerous and did her best not to think about him: or at the very least remind herself that she was no Starfire and Starfire was what he wanted. She had to believe that things would be better for him, better for her, if she simply kept her emotional distance from him.

That changed, in two distinct phases and both of them had begun with Slade.

Raven moved silently as she could, in the way she always did, as she returned her books to her shelves and troves. It was close to six in the morning, the day after her friends were exposed to her prophecy. She didn't know about the others, but after the revelations they were confronted with, Raven hadn't been able to sleep. Contrary to popular belief, Raven did sleep: she slept a lot and pretty heavily. She took naps in the day time, short naps or long ones, depending on the stress of her mind or how messy the day's game of Stankball had been. Raven stopped suddenly, gripping her book in one hand while rubbing her head in amusement. She didn't care what the score card said, whenever Beast Boy and Cyborg played Stankball everybody lost.

Her friends were valuable to her: Starfire's sweetness, Cyborg's compassion, Beast Boy's out-and-out ridiculousness and Robin's understanding. There was something about all of them that made her wish that she was a different person: that coming into their lives didn't come with such disastrous baggage.

But they were in, all of them, and she had to keep them safe.

Raven moved to her open trove, dropping to her knees as she laid the book to the bottom of the chest's keep. Her fingers fell over the worn, leather bound cover. It was the book of her prophecy and it laid in the space beside the Tale of Rorek, in the coffer of her most dangerous books.

_If only I knew how to keep them safe…_

She closed the coffer and rested her arms over the box, dropping her chin into the cradle it made. One week ago yesterday had been Raven's sixteenth birthday. Most people had single events that hammered through their lives as a day of infamy. Raven had three. Two were directly tied into the consequence of her life course; the other was tied into Robin's. All three moments made keeping her emotional distance from Robin a very difficult task.

_I save him. He saves me. Slade hunts and we defend… the difference between us is that Robin can save himself._

On the anniversary of her birth, Robin had saved her life more ways than he would ever know. He had caught her, held her close to him as the world was released from its pause. She had awoken from the faint induced by her powers to see him smiling down on her, the way he always did when a great rescue had been preformed. Raven had had a fight; she had the marks to prove it. She had fought Slade and what he represented, just like Robin had, but Robin had won. It was the same fight, with the playing field tipped into Slade's favor: his mentality bested Robin, his powers worsted Raven, to make him a threat. Robin had answered Slade's superior fight against Raven without powers, but kept coming, kept fighting, saving her life. He had caught her, touched her face and made her believe that for the moment that she could believe what he said: that she was safe.

Raven would always remember how Robin took his cape off and wrapped it around her shoulders. She had felt his finger tips gently and blushed and became angry in a rapid succession. She had wanted to collapse in on herself and pretend like nothing had happened. When she snapped at him quickly that she could teleport them to the tower and no one would see her, he didn't take offense. He let her hold onto the cape and warp them into the tower and let her disappear into her room. He didn't tell the others, she didn't have to make him swear to it.

Just like he didn't have to make her swear to never tell about what she had seen in his mind.

Raven's life had consisted of routine and more routine until the day she met Robin and brought him into her life. Since then, things stopped being the way she remembered them. She still hid sometimes, but less and less was she afraid.

They were the only people she knew who could talk to each other about the most private of things and still know so little about the potential the other person possessed. The moon pale mystic stood up and continued her task. She had more books than some libraries. Some surprised her to recall that she had them. A lot of them weren't even hers; they were the 'gifts' of Malchior. She would return them, if she knew where they had come from. But she couldn't think about her part in something she'd have to call thievery, she had other things to consider.

Before she understood how she knew, when the knock resounded from her door, she knew it was Robin. She also knew, as she moved to open the door, that he was standing just outside the threshold with his hands loose by his side. He was also standing unreasonably close to her door, she figured. That had nothing to do with it being her door; that was just simply the way Robin stood when he was waiting to be let into anywhere.

Raven understood why Robin's title was Boy Wonder… at least as far as the Wonder part was concerned: except for his age and that little bit of baby fat that no amount of training will take away from his cheeks, there was nothing boyish about him.

Except, if Raven were willing to admit it to herself, that cute grin he had when he managed to best her in chess or any other game of mental strategy.

Raven opened the door for Robin and let him stand there for a few seconds before she moved to the side and let him come in. He was always awake this early in the morning and since that day, that fated day, when she had seen those deep things he kept locked up in his mind, he had been coming to her room early, hoping that she was awake enough to provide some sort of intelligent conversation. More than once she hadn't been and he contented himself to look at her bookshelf or sit on her floor and wait for another fifteen minutes for her to possess the will power to get out of bed and talk and talk and talk.

Since the day, that first milestone in their relationship, Robin and Raven had been talking more and more. The day after he had recovered from his Slade-induced, self-inflicted wounds, he had sat on her floor with her and talked for six and a half hours. Even as that time wound down, she knew that there was still much more left for the Boy Wonder to say and for her to hear.

Robin stood in front of the pretty Titan and noticed her hands were fighting to keep a grip. He took the text gently and, realizing he couldn't read the script, moved to place the book in one of her coffers. He picked the wrong one.

"Not that one." Raven said when she caught her voice. "Only the bad stories go in there."

It didn't take more than those words for Robin to understand what she meant and what was in the trove. He choose another one, lied the book down, and turned to face her. He had come into her room with a list of things he needed to say, but when he looked into her face, he saw something that he couldn't put words to. Robin rubbed the back of his head shortly and thought of something unimportant to say.

"Your books are important to you." His tone was uneven. Raven had to think whether or not his words were a question, he could tell by the look on her face. He watched her use her powers to lift a stack from the floor and push them into the empty sleeves in her book shelves.

"Something like that." Raven replied. Robin bent down and picked the last book from her floor before looking around and finding the place for it. Raven moved forward silently, in that haunting way that she could, and took the book from his hand. It was leather bound and looked ready to fall apart in her hands. She gripped it firmly in both hands and didn't move to put it away. "They're a part of me. My spells, my stories, my gifts…"

There was something in her tone that told Robin that what he had stumbled upon wasn't unimportant. He had done that before: felt that something was unimportant and pressed it, to find out that there was a gem beneath it. But it only happened with Raven and it had only begun happening recently.

Raven saw Robin see her and inhaled slowly, blinked slowly, to let him see that she was fully aware of him being near her. Raven didn't have to search his face to know that something was running through his mind, he always had a look of concentration on his face, unless it he had a look of disgust, but seeing as Beast Boy's dirty laundry or Starfire questionable culinary 'treats' weren't around, there was no reason for his features to hold anything other than concentration. She felt a flash of his thoughts and pushed it away quickly, preferring to hear what he had to say rather than invade his mind to find out what he was piecing together.

Those sparks of his mindset had been the consequence of going into his mind. If Raven were to be honest with herself, their 'bond' meant more to Robin than it did to her. It gave her mostly unwanted glimpses into his thoughts and sometimes it allowed him to steal fragments of the tragedies she was trying to keep locked away. Except now there was no more mystery, all her friends new about the terrible thing she was born to do.

But Robin was still trying to piece her together, to get under her skin, to find her heart, to make her feel still strong.

"Now that you know the truth about me…" Raven began slowly, outside the sun finished its painting of the water in that fantastic gold color that Raven loved so much. The clouds were beginning to come, there was a good chance today would be a rainy day.

"You're a great girl." He said simply.

"What?"

"You're a great girl, Raven. That's the truth. Who you are is who you've always been: a person we trust, a person we admire, a part of our team."

"That's so easy to say, because you still don't understand."

"Maybe not, but I know enough. I'm here for you Raven. I've always been here for you. I'm sorry that you haven't always realized that. You've always been there for me, willing to step up to protect me from myself."

Raven looked at Robin and saw his features sag just a little when she turned her back to him as she went to place the book in her hands on her bed. When she set it down, she made the decision to sit down as well. So she sat on her mattress with the book at her hip and stared at it as she spoke. "None of us wanted to see you hurt."

"And none of us want to see you afraid… but we want to see you Raven." Robin moved comfortably close, he always did know the right way to touch and stand and speak, for the most part, when it came to Raven and that had been true long before either of them knew who Slade was. That had been true the moment he volunteered himself to help her. He knew where he stood with her, even when he knew nothing about her. "Could you trust me to let me see?"

"You have my trust and that is something very sacred to me."

Robin thought carefully and a flash of an image of Beast Boy and Cyborg hit Raven's eyes. His voice came quickly to put words to the image as if he knew that his mind had sent her a message. "I want to go where they went."

"They intruded." Raven replied definitively.

Robin never slouched, so when he moved his shoulders backwards, it was more of a declaration than a correction. There was something that needed to be said, he needed to find a way to say it. "When will you let me see? This bond… can go both ways if you let it."

"I… I'm not sure I'm ready for you to see. There are still a lot of things I'm not ready for you to know."

Robin did something he never did before. He sat on her bed beside her. He usually sat on her floor or stood up to comfortably kept his distance. But this was different. Everything was different. "How long have you been afraid?"

"Always."

For a few seconds they had nothing to say.

"I made contact with Aqualad and Bumble Bee. They started forming a team; it's the two of them and Speedy. But, all their leads about Brother Blood have gone completely cold. Since things around here have been… intense, I asked them if they would be willing to become official members of this team."

"Robin, I don't want to involve anymore people in this."

"Raven, they're our friends and we're all in this. You know as well as I do that we're all stronger when we all stand together."

She knew he was right and sometimes she hated when he was right, because it scared her that he could see possibility where she couldn't. She had built walls, years and years worth of walls, but there was something in Robin that could tear them down and because it was Robin, she didn't want to put them back up.

"Can I tell you a story?" Raven asked.

"From your books?"

"From my heart… and my head."

Robin waited and listened.

"I never appreciated the color gold, not until… recently."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Until you saved me… I had never experienced it."º

…

It had burned.

Barely out of the grip of her fingers and it had burned away.

Jinx's cat eyes were narrowed in a combination of fury and terror: one of her most powerful hexes had been incinerated by Washu's careful cruelty.

Nightwing was lucky that Starfire had reacted fast enough to pull him from danger. The diversion attack was still an attack. A massive tremor marked the trail of the energy blast that was aimed to take his soul. Jinx had tried to stop it by stopping Washu, but that had come to magnificent failure. Washu had waited and when the outlay of Jinx's curse was strongest, he flexed his magic it and returned the paper hex to the earth.

Starfire gripped Nightwing's wrist securely, holding them both several stories above the ground. Her left shoulder burned, from the first attack of the fight where Washu had tried to take down all those with flight, something he himself had yet to demonstrate his capacity for. D'ucel and Blackfire were on their backs on the ground because of it, Starfire had been knocked to the cave wall, but when she saw the dark weave, the same one she had seen six years ago, her body moved to protect Nightwing.

Minutes in, few blows attempted, and already they were losing. Without Raven's superior powers, without Sakura's guard, they had to rely on their abilities to hold on and defend. Starfire let go of Nightwing's wrist and the Titans' leader tucked and rolled to land safely. He extended his bo-staff, gaze shifting between the demon after his life energy and the demon in his life.

Washu waved his hand casually, sending a tremor of energy through the air. Jinx and Nightwing braced their feet as Tempest and Cyborg slammed into cave walls and Starfire was disoriented in the air. Jinx stood close to Nightwing, her fingers locked in a prayer state, her cat eyes switching between targets faster than Nightwing's own. Together their eyes locked on Washu.

"Astarte," His throat was thick with his Azarathian tongue. "Totashi Boyoku Nisa Verna Ror?" (Do you actually believe you pose a threat?)

"Visus Berka Tein Siyaku!"

"No, foolish, insignificant whelp; it is you who will die here!"

…

"Do you want any special rules, too?"

Her purple eyes narrowed, keeping the wicked geomancer in her sights constantly as she shook her head in the negative. "I'm the one who threw a bus at you, remember?"

Terra matched Raven glare for glare, both of their eyes beginning to become laced with their respective abilities. Around the corners of blue irises, laced a yellow band; purple eyes were being haunted with the sheerest of white might. Terra's face tightened and a sneer ran from her lower lip to her brow. "Last time you and I fought… I crushed you."

"Last time you had Slade behind you, giving you power you didn't have. Last time I wanted to save you---"

"No, you didn't!" Terra screamed.

"But this time, I'm going to use everything I've got. There's no more compassion, no more mercy."

"And no doubt. You're going to pay for everything you've done to me."

"You? This isn't about you! It's about what you've done! You could have eased the burdens of thousands of lives, but instead you choose a path of selfishness and betrayal."

"Why should I care about anyone else, when no one ever cared about me?"

The blow, the first blow struck, would have killed any other human being. The sharp punch connected brutally at the junction of Terra's chin and neck. She almost expected it to snap. Instead Terra Nostra crashed to the ground, her jaw miraculously unsevered. Above her Raven's eyes were black and furious.

"You stupid child, we did our best to welcome you!"

"Still looks like your best isn't good enough!"

Before Raven could move to strike again, the anger of the land began to crash and peel away at her footing, shaking her off balance as Terra rose to her feet. Terra's eyes became wrapped in yellow fury and the anger of the land matched her vengeance song. Raven took flight as the stone beneath her feet became jagged shards at the geomancer's will.

"LAAA!"

Raven's eyes widened as the ground beneath her began shooting diamond shaped shards at her person. She wrapped a barrier around herself. Terra's hands waved menacingly to run the land like a wave to wash over Raven and her guard. It fell like heavy water, to crush the moon pale mystic. Raven sneer before turning her body, her energy flashing out from finger tips in a splintering tornado that shattered the collective mass of land. Through the fragments of shed earth, Raven dove forward and caught Terra from behind, catching the wicked geomorph in a headlock. Terra grunted and struggled before landing a brutal elbow in Raven's side. Raven gasped in pain but didn't let go. Terra hammered the blow again, but Raven wouldn't quit.

The earth quaked under them. With one eye closed, as evidence of pain, Raven could see that slab of earth Terra was rising beneath her feet. When the wall shoot up, Raven leapt back, her purple eyes following the barrier's path until it struck the ceiling. Terra dropped to her knees on her side of the wall, catching her breath.

Raven shortened her recovery period, sending an energy claw that brought down the wall. Raven's energy crushed the soil, but the earth was infinite to Terra's will. As Raven waited for the rain of earth to end, a hand from the earth grabbed her ankle. The surprise left her open, Terra tackled the sorceress, knocking them both to the ground. Raven slammed back first, taking all the force of the blow as Terra landed on top of her. The blond fighter sat up, pinning Raven's waist with her weight. She cocked back her right hand to strike a blow. Raven's eyes flashed white before her body became her energy and she sunk into the earth outside of Terra's gasp.

The geomancer gritted her teeth in frustration, opening a chasm of the earth to reveal nothing. A fissure shot stinging hot wind from the fault she created. Terra got to her feet, her blue eyes dashing back and forth to catch a telling glimpse of where Raven's next strike would come from.

…

The scream of Jinx echoed through the pedestal keep. The constricting energy had caught her, despite all her nimble evades: just like it had caught Nightwing and Cyborg and the others. She was being held off the ground and away from the others. Her knees were locked tight together; her right hand was pinned by her face, her left trapped at her side. Beneath the struggling and kicking feet of Foxfire, Slade stood looking amused. Washu held his gaze on the pain twisted features of Astarte tu Jinx.

A bolt cut through the air, charging with a mastered aim. It cut past the narrow divide of the energy holding Tempest and Starfire, aimed for the eye of Washu. Slade's hand shot out and cut the path of the dashing arrow, but his eye and Washu's both turned to the source of the shot. Slade was foolish enough to unleash a sinister smile. Washu was not.

One sharp flick of her wrist and an expert throw hurled her boomerang through the air at lightning fast speed. It turned and pivoted, flying in an arching circle path with trained accuracy. It cut through every tendril of energy, freeing Jinx to drop to the floor in a guarded crouch. Blackfire caught Nightwing and set him down, both of them turning their eyes to the doorway, where the huge weapon returned to that expert hand. The energy twisted her strong wrist, rotating the joint in a motion the muscles were trained to accept.

When Jinx moved, Sakura moved: same general direction, different targets. Their paths crossed in a straight X, the ward in Jinx's right hand wrapped around Sakura's wrist with a single clash of their hands. They kept moving, Jinx dashing to Washu, Sakura aimed to fight Slade. Slade moved his body into the beginning of an offensive stance. He ducked under her spin kick as Washu raised his arm to smash his forearm against Jinx's attacking side arm. Washu leered as the friction in their fight pushed their weight towards the slimmer Jinx. Jinx smiled wickedly before tumbling backwards smoothly as a sonic blast and a rain of Starbolts dashed in at Washu. As Washu raised his arm to block his face, Slade dropped his shoulder to ram into Sakura. The Xing Yi fighter dropped into a split, giving Slade a clear view of what was behind her: a dark bird-a-rang blade wielding Nightwing. Slade jumped backwards as Nightwing jumped over his sister and made to cut him in two.

Slade moved and evaded, sliding to the side of a perfect perpendicular cut. Before he could step in to counter attack, Tempest's boot connected with his chest. As the aquamorph somersaulted backwards, Slade lost control of his body to the momentum of the blow. His body dragged against the ground for a few seconds before all his momentum stopped with Blackfire driving her feet into his breadbasket. The ground cracked beneath his body from the strength of the Tameranian powerhouse. She took into the air where she hammered down Blackbolts while blue Fox shots were rained down courtesy of Tameran's Foxfire.

Washu's energy waved through the cave throwing all the Titans off balanced. Arsenal's heat seekers were incinerated under Washu's fury. The dark magic waved through the air, spiraling out with every Titan as a target. Foxfire dove and grabbed Arsenal, keeping an energy beam from taking down the agile archer. The blow meant for the red head struck D'ucel in the center of his back, sparking and burning away the ward there, before pulling back and returning to the dark mage that controlled it. D'ucel staggered when he placed Arsenal to safety. His worried companion looked at the damage and winced at the wounded paper glued to his uniform.

"Are you alright?"

"For the most part, I am undamaged."

The eagle eyed archer looked forward with his blue eyed teammate, seeing the waves of Washu's power lashing out and striking at the hexes of each of the Titans. Tempest's hand stung with the blow and Blackfire could not dodge fast enough to avoid the burn. Nightwing's swinging dark bird-a-rang blade lacerating the blow meant for him. When the energy retreated, he gripped his weapon in both hands, turning his wrists to the left, his right elbow out, the left down, ready to strike immediately for another attack. Sakura raised her arms to shield her face, feeling the blow struck at her exposed wrist before dispersing. She opened her eyes and looked over her guard to see, just faintly, a wave of her remnant Holy energy dissipating Washu's power, protecting her body. Washu saw it as well.

…

Terra gasped as Raven ascended and caught her midturn. The moon pale fighter secured her grip around Terra, using her forward momentum to bulldog her opponent. Terra's body crashed into the ground and Raven's rode the sharp friction of her own body striking the earth. The magic wielder twisted her hips to be face to face with Terra, who got to her hands and knees fast enough to tackle Raven and knock them to the ground. Terra pinned Raven's right hand with her left and smashed her fist into Raven's face twice before Raven raised her left hand and jabbed Terra in the jaw. With her hand still by her face, Raven pulled a handful of Terra's hair. The geomancer gritted in pain as the pull tipped their weight. Raven rolled on top of Terra, pinning her with her thighs.

Terra's eyes flashed yellow as Raven drew her fist back to strike a punch. The earth on either side of them erupted and took form; two golem hands arched out and grabbed Raven by the shoulders. Raven twisted her body and Terra twisted free from Raven's pin. Raven's sneer took over her features, her eyes lit up a furious white. Her shoulders flexed powerfully, her fists balled angrily as her muscles tensed. Her energy burst from behind her back, uncoiling in black wings that shred the stone hands into a million tiny fragments.

Raven started to get to her feet, but a sharp spin kick from Terra knocked her back to the floor. Raven upkicked in time to avoid Terra's heel. She leapt back a few feet before thrusting her hands forward, her finger tips aimed at the cobblestones between their feet.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

The black power captured a load of stones, throwing them forward at the wicked geomancer. Terra smirked before waving her hands back, taking control of every single stone. Her eyes widened as she looked past the defeated dark energy, exploding into the air to see Raven. She realized she'd fallen for a decoy as Raven floated above the ground and a soul body, a perfect mimic of her form, escaped Raven and dove at her with alarming speed. Terra thought quickly and pulled the cobblestones in her grasp together and formed a club. The earthen weapon swung at the charging energy. Raven's soul body charged it, exploding the weapon into a thousand points of the earth. The scattered element showered through the air around the dark soul solider. When the rain indeed, it looked forward but did not find Terra Nostra.

Terra immerged from her sink into the ground behind Raven, the real Raven and grabbed her hair. The pull disoriented the soul solider. The kick that followed scrambled the energy. Her soul returned to her body spinning the off balanced Raven just in time to see the huge boulder crash into her. Raven's yell followed her body as she was thrown ten feet away. She landed on her side, her right arm wrapped around her wounded middle. She could do nothing to trap the moan of pain from pouring from her throat. Her breathing was hard, her bare legs felt bruised and it hurt her heart to control the fury in her mind.

Terra stared down at her from only a few feet away. Her look showed her disgust at the weakness in the woman who was her greatest rival. She squatted down to make her face only a short, angry gaze upwards for the wounded magician.

"What gives you hope now Raven? Will you give me the satisfaction of stealing it from you?"

…

"It is time, Mesa." She whispered.

"It has always been time… time exists to give meaning to our lives. If there wasn't time, nothing in life would be precious."

"We must be her sword and guard."

"No, we are only her sword… HOPE must be her guard."

"Yes. Are you ready Mesa?"

"I am ready, Mune." Her long purple hair flickered behind her in the same direction of her white robes. The shimmering green dress pressed against her legs and whipped about as well.

Behind the two, the Mesa and the Mune, the other echoes of identity stood and waited in anticipation. For years, for as long as any of them had been in creation, the one who was bravery and the one who was knowledge were always the strongest. They were of the first there, they were the great fighters, they were the resilience that their Lethe needed to avoid the fall.

"And Lethe will be stronger?" JoY asked quickly, looking between the stern faces of their strongest counterparts.

"One day," The Mesa stated, "We will all be a part of Lethe, tied to her in the way that will make her stronger. For now, it is our time to stand with our Lethe: to give her strength, to give her hope."

JoY's doe eyes blinked once sadly. TimiD placed slender fingers on the light blue cloaked shoulder of JoY. JoY looked up and forward, into the matching eyes of the Mesa and the Mune. For a moment all those purple eyes flickered to the side to the energy pools and hammering power beyond the shredding lightning: the turmoil of Lethe's mind.

"If she escapes?" TimiD asked quietly.

"We will act." The Mune said simply.

"And of her?" JoY asked.

"When the time is right, she will become the shield she was always meant to be."

The Mesa's mouth closed firmly, her face matching that of the Mune. The two turned, turning their backs to all the others that were just like they were. They all had to be strong for the future: no matter the power, no matter the identity. Clad in a green dress, The Mesa extended her hand to her yellow clad counter part, the Mune. She took it and the two walked up two steps to a floating pedestal on the island beneath the energy of gold. The Mune stood on the left, the Mesa on the right, their heads bowed down, their hands tightly wound together.

HappinesS, TimiD, JoY and DespaiR watched as the bravery and the knowledge lit their eyes in an awesome white energy. All their power, all their strength, all their character focused in that place beneath the energy of gold.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

They chanted their mantra together: the Mesa, the Mune, the one who was JoY, she who was TimiD, the one called DespaiR and she who was HappinesS. All of the fractions of Lethe put for their words and put forth their energy: shining out a rainbow that blinded them all. JoY opened her eyes and HappinesS as well, moving forward as Timid and DespaiR stood still.

In the floating island, beneath the energy of gold, stood a black sword, its handle carved in energy darker than any of them knew to be Lethe's. They, HappinesS and JoY, did not move any closer than close enough to see the way the dark energy seemed to shine beneath that energy of gold that shimmered above them all.

"Their fate to become a weapon is what bonded them so deeply to Lethe." HappinesS said simply, as if, looking at the Mesamune gave her both the knowledge and bravery it was composed of.

"We are not weapons. What will bond us to her?" TimiD asked.

"I don't know." JoY stated with a bit of whimsy in her voice, being so close to something as beautiful as the Mesamune. "Maybe time. Maybe love."

"We have love. We've always had love." HappinesS responded.

"Then time." JoY replied. The four aspirations turned and looked back deeply to the half buried Mesamune. "Their actions have given us opportunity for time."

…

The wards on Nightwing's arms would not burn. Nor would that one wound tightly around his sister's wrist.

Their wards had held, but they were wounded none the less.

Jinx's eye was pinched tight. She held her middle with a slender hand. Her open eye could see one thing; the proud menace in the eyes of Washu. If looks could kill, Washu would have suffered a thousand of the world's worst ways to die. Sakura pitched forward from her exhaustion, leaving Nightwing and Jinx to stand. Jinx grimaced, there was no Holy guard and there was no powerful dark magic for them to rely on. She had made a mistake to challenge Washu without Raven and if she did not receive the unlikely good luck for her aid, she would die at Washu's hands: just like her mother, just like her brother.

_Mother… Laseri… Voya Buon Corsacorsa Mor. _(I can not see you in death, not yet.)

…

Raven hurled her might. Terra threw the land. The clashes of their powers weakened the sun. Raven pushed and Terra punched. Terra's lip stung with the pain of blood and Raven's cheek was stained an angry blue color under the fall of her long purple hair.

They stood thirty feet apart on the traumatized land of the highest order in the temples of Scath. They were breathing hard. Raven's throat was dry, the sweat on Terra's brow clung her bangs to her face. No matter the fatigue of their bodies, no matter how many screams of pain, neither of them could calm the hatred in their eyes. Terra could see Raven's matching hate in her demon tinted irises.

Terra was going to let her rage free.

The single stone wasn't large, but large enough to do the damage. From over her shoulder, Terra darted a single rock hurled with dead accuracy for Raven's eye. Raven didn't blink. Her hand reached in front of her and with bare fingers she caught the stone.

"I don't think so." She said simply and tightened her grip until the stone exploded to nothingness in her hand. Terra's eyes widened as Raven dashed forward, until she was just five feet away and her cerulean eyes narrowed wickedly.

"LAAA!"

The surge of power rocketed from the earth in a band of mental might that knocked Raven backwards. The mystic fighter landed solidly on her back, grunting when her body collided with the jagged earth. Her amethyst irises opened wide as she watched what was happening. The earth was moving like a snake against Terra's body. It wrapped around her forearms and became gauntlets made of stone. It wrapped around her forehead to make a ring of rock. The earth pooled thickly against her chest forming an armor that appeared difficult to penetrate. But above all that, Raven watched the way the earth in Terra's control formed a weapon in the air. It was a double edged lode ax: huge, heavy and sharp, but with a single grasp of her hand, Raven could tell that Terra could wield it and with no difficultly.

Terra spun her weapon, the sound of the stone blade cut through the air thickly, pushing wind that kicked dirt into Raven's face.

"Scared?" Terra asked. "You should be. I've been waiting for this… Do you think I sat around and did nothing? I've gained power too."

"Gaining power doesn't mean you're stronger. Your arrogance will be your down fall." Raven said as she stood up.

Terra regarded Raven and dropped the weight of the six foot long stone ax to her shoulder. Her irises wavered rapidly, she swore she saw something, saw something change in Raven.

The mystic tilted her head before letting out a battle cry that made Terra's blood run cold. The great bird of Raven's soul self emerged from Raven's body. Its huge wings enveloped Raven and blocked her from Terra's sight. The geomancer took a single step back before the wings of Raven's energy dispersed, the fractions of power spinning outward from Raven's body to dissipate in the air between Terra and herself.

Terra looked past the shield of her arm to see Raven standing ready. She was bathed in her black energy: a circlet looking like heavy Damascus adorned her forehead like a crown, jagged and foreboding. Against her chest in an arching shape that curved with the swell of her breast was a breastplate, the film of energy caught the light, making the armor fragment shine.

But more eye catching than her armor was her weapon. The black blade was made of her energy, channeled into a sharp edge weapon, in the cut of a saber. The length of the weapon from the tip of the blade to the hand-stop was nearly Raven's height. The hand guard's were shaped like the jagged talons of the bird with which she shared a name. Terra leered as Raven swung her blade over head in two full rotations, each turn spinning out fearsome power without taking any energy from the sword.

Terra rotated her weapon into an offensive hold as Raven locked both hands on the grip of her weapon, lining the edge of her blade in the center of her gaze, cutting the image of Terra Nostra exactly in half.

…

ºStarfire laughed nervously as the timer lost two minutes from its countdown, leaving them with only a minute to deactivate the machine and/or evacuate the building before the device went off and exploded the building and all the reactive chemicals in it.

Speedy sweat dropped before turning his masked eyes to the other Titan redhead. "I feel as if you're constantly doing something dangerous."

Starfire laughed nervously again, rubbing the back of her head and blushing furiously. Her laughter was cut short when the timer dinged harshly, letting them know they only had thirty seconds. "We should make with the haste and escape."

Speedy seconded her sentiment and took off into a run until Starfire swooped in and grabbed his wrist, flying them out as quickly as possible. It wasn't fast enough. The building exploded around them, the wave of destruction flood from behind them until a random blast, ignited by the factory's dangerous wares, blocked their path. Starfire gasped and stopped in her forward progression, the change in acceleration jerked Speedy forward before pulling him back, just out of the way of a falling beam.

Starfire panicked as smoke clouded the air. She did not fear for herself, she was resilient, but she could hear Speedy coughing even as it became more difficult to see him. Her eyes blurred and over the ruckus of explosions, she could not be sure if she heard Speedy collapse to the floor of it were just her imagination. She began to cough as well, sinking to the ground, in a chemical induced haze, her eyes drooping shut before she keeled over.

Sequence Terminated

The red letters flashed against the visual monitor of the headset. A current of electricity ran through the letters, making them flash and disappear for a moment before flashing again. She pulled the helmet from her face as her partner did the same beside her. No longer was she in the burning wreckage of the factory, she was in the training room, with her friends and team members. She frowned, holding the AV helm in her lap.

"I am sorry. I was not successful in completing my assigned mission." Starfire said simply.

"It's alright, Starfire." Robin said. "You did your best."

"My best endangered the life of my companion. I was reckless in my… over confidence."

"Hey, Star, don't beat yourself up." Speedy said. "I didn't exactly get you out of harm's way either."

"That does not make my actions any less unforgivable. I offer the apology."

Starfire had taken to understanding the complexity of their futures more so with each passing day. Since the revelation of Raven's prophecy, she had been humbled in the magnitude of her abilities. Though she always cared for the safety of her friends, she was not always acting in their best interest. She could afford to make mistakes because the build of her body always made her get up. She knew that wasn't true for her friends, especially Robin. Every time he took an attack, she screamed his name in fear that he was broken. Starfire realized that worrying about them did not prevent their wounds… to do her part; Starfire understood she had the obligation, as the resilient warrior of their clan, to save every one of her strong, but fragile friends from anything she could defend them against.

Starfire put away her helm and walked with Speedy and Robin until the Titans' leader broke off to have a word with Cyborg. Speedy could tell that Starfire was upset with her performance still and disheartened was not a feeling Speedy felt that Starfire should be intimately familiar with.

"Hey, Star, don't let the vid-sim results get you down. We all make mistakes. I made them. Robin made them and so did everyone else. We all want to do our best, but we can't expect to be successful every time. If we were, we'd be machines: and not in the way Cyborg is."

"I understand the sentiment, but I feel no more at ease."

"Listen Red, take it from a guy who's had tons of self-doubt. We're kids. You're not even sixteen until tomorrow. There's no way we're going to get it right, but we all know that when it really matters, you're there for us. And that's all we can ask of you… asking anything else would be… well wrong of us. And if we make you feel like you're not strong for us, we're the ones who owe you the apology."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Starfire replied.

Speedy nodded. "Then we're even."º

Starfire didn't know why her memory supplied her with that image as her consciousness swept in and out of her control. She could vaguely make out the frame of D'ucel as he crouched in front of her defensively as the remnants of Slade's pyromancing crackled against the air.

The wounded bodies of the Titans were scattered about, thrown against walls and other bodies as Washu's power proved to be superior to everything they were fighting with. She could not see if Washu had pressed his advantage over Jinx and kept her locked in the toying tendrils of his powers. She could not see if Nightwing still held his blades for the offensive. She could not hear the roar of her sister's eyebeams or the cut in the air caused by the rapid fire of Arsenal's bow.

Her chest burned, and her body struggled over the pain of it.

_Get up. Get. Up. _

…

When their weapons clashed, the air changed directions, pushing their grunts back into their own mouths instead of into the faces of the enemy before them. Their weapons were deadlocked. They gritted their teeth as they both tried to push some weakness in the other, to tip the saber towards Terra or tip all the blades back to Raven. Their physical strength was nearly even, the friction under their feet and the twists of their hips made the weapons swing in their arms. Their bodies turned, their weapons pinned each other the ground. Their eyes darted from their locked weapons back into the face of their enemy. Raven moved suddenly, elbowing Terra in the chest. The geomorph stumbled back; the blade of her ax scrapped the ground, rubbing earth against earth.

Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders as her head lifted up to see Raven running at her with her blade raised to swing. As Raven's saber struck down, a pillar of earth erupted under Terra's feet and catapulted her upwards. The energy blade scrapped against the rising column. Raven raised her purple eyes to follow Terra's escape. Raven took flight to chase: her weapon dangling in her right hand, her left balled up by her face as she flew, the wind of her motion made her hair wave down her back like a billowing cape. Terra's trap made her stop.

The cylinder jettisoned from the column side and her forward momentum gave Raven no choice but to half fly through it before it constricted around her body. The cylinder held her tightly, pinning the blade of her weapon to her side. She wormed her body, her left hand pounding on the vice. Above her head she could hear Terra laughing. She rose her purple eyes to stare into the face of Terra Nostra. She raised her left hand and with the might of her magic, pulled a giant boulder from the ceiling above Terra's head. Her black shrouded hand dropped and the boulder descended from overhead to drop on Terra. Terra shook her head; a look of amusement at Raven's audacity plastered her face in a clear incredulous 'yeah right' manner. Terra raised her hand and stopped the dropping stone. Raven smirked. Before Terra could react, another boulder careened in from the side and smashed into her body, knocking her from the pedestal. Raven's dark power spun out from her body and crushed the cylinder. A dark blast from the sword shattered the entire pillar allowing Raven to fly through the rain of rocks to chase Terra Nostra.

Terra turned and caught a stone beneath her. Pivoting her hips to keep her balance and keep her distance. Raven chased, her weapon drawn back behind her head to deliver an over head cut, her body twisting to give her strike momentum. Terra jumped backwards just in time to see Raven's strike cut the stone in half.

Terra watched before sending a command to the split halves to come back together, crashing into either side of Raven. The blow succeeded, knocking Raven from the air, dropping loudly to the made jagged earth. She winced to get up, but got up immediately when she saw Terra dropping down with her ax to cut her in two. Raven rolled to the side, hearing before seeing Terra's huge ax cutting through stone like butter. The moon pale mystic pulled her feet beneath her and stood up again. Terra turned quickly as she wrenched her weapon from the deep furrow wound it made in the ground.

Raven felt the earth tremor. Terra could still control every ounce of life blood in the earth, even as blood leaked from the deep wound in her arm. The soil pooled and wrapped up Raven's shins, locking her feet and ankles under her. Terra dropped in a quick motion and spun her leg out, crashing through the stone to take Raven's legs beneath her. Raven crashed to the floor and Terra rose to her feet. Raven held her weapon firmly in her hand as Terra turned her ax to end her life.

Cerulean eyes narrowed at the face of her next victim. "Take responsibility for all your sins."

Raven rose her weapon in a guard of her chest, blocking the decent of Terra's ax. Her right hand pushed at the grip, her left pushing and steadying the blade. She gritted her teeth and struggled until her eyes were washed over white and her demonic flare surged to give her the strength to push Terra's strike away. Raven up kicked and swung back at Terra Nostra, bringing their weapons again to a lock.

"My sins?" Raven screamed.

Their weapons clashed in a fury that weakened the sun. Their bodies moved like the vengeful warriors they were, the crash of the blades scurried energy into the air that would have choked the weak. But neither of them were weak and they kept fighting.

"All the hate you bred." Terra barked, her weapon clashing against Raven's. "All the hurt you dealt out to me! To the world! To everyone you ever knew!"

Terra's screams were punctuated with downward swings of her ax and the matching crash of exploding energy as Raven met her swing for swing.

"I hate Blackfire because of you, because you gave her your trust and you never even considered giving it to me!" Terra screamed.

Raven rolled her shoulder, evading Terra's vengeful strike and going on the offensive. "Just because you wanted it, doesn't mean you deserved it." Raven responding, their weapons locking again.

"You didn't even give me a chance. I watched Blackfire's tape… she didn't regret… she was selfish… but when I'm selfish you call me a child…"

Raven's weapon crashed down onto Terra's, forcing the geomorph's knees to bend. "You can stop right there. You can contrast and compare all you want but don't think your pity party will inspire sympathy."

Terra swung in a horizontal cut. Raven jumped backwards out of range, bringing her weapon's grip into both hands. Terra sneered, but her eyes were still an unpolluted blue. "You think I want sympathy because of your trust? Trust may have been my great motivator, but the sting in my heart is because of what happened to Choris."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you now? Do you expect mercy because your evil intentions destroyed a life you didn't mean to? Your actions brought the death of two little girls not even a full year old." Raven shot an energy blast with her sword. The blow struck Terra's chest guard and pushed her backwards. The geomorph dropped to her knees. "Are you happy?" Raven asked. "Are you proud that you were strong enough to _use_ anything you could to get to me? How could you resign your daughter to such a fate?"

Terra sneered and got to her feet, her eyes alight with her anger of the land. "How could you?"

"How dare you? I tried to protect my child!" Raven screamed.

Terra hurled a stone. The rocked dropped under Raven's swing and crashed into Raven's knee. She staggered and Terra capitalized, sending a brutal front kick into Raven's nose. "She suffered to live! You knew all the awful things you would do and you still tried to pretend that you were strong enough to stop it all! And what did you prove?" Terra asked.

Raven shook her head furiously at Terra's audacity. "You created a child for evil intentions do not dare speak of righteousness!"

"And don't you speak of evil! You could have stopped all of this! If you were half as strong as you lead any of us to believe." Their weapons clashed again, their bodies trembling with the boil of their blood. The flow of battle with such intensity could not be survived by any one other than those two, those with wounds so wide that the only seal was the death of their enemy. Their power, unparalleled and unleashed; cut the air into molecules with their absolute destruction. "With your infinite strength? With your power to stop all the bad things you've done? All you've proven is that you let down everyone who needed you."

"And you've proven that you are incapable of regret… and I can no longer suffer you to live." Raven pushed their weapons back towards Terra, forcing the geomorph to leap backwards, putting ten feet between them. Raven turned her hands into her strongest offensive grip. Terra tightened her face and moved her weapon with a wave of her wrists.

"You could never beat me." Terra said definitely, readying her weapon.

"Come at me… with everything you've got."

Terra smiled wickedly. "You'll never live through this." She shifted her hips, raising her lode ax to strike. "Trust me."

Their battle cries crashed against each other as both girls ran forward. Their weapons locked. Raven turned her hips and kicked Terra. Terra's feet slid against the earth before she found friction and used all her upper body strength to push their weapons back to Raven. The moon pale mystic leapt backwards, taking flight just above the ground. She stared at Terra through the haze of her destructive white focus. Her body was shaking with her own power. Her eyes combed Terra's face before they lost their light. Raven's feet touched the ground, standing straight up, her weapon at her side. She took a deep breath and looked straight into Terra's eyes.

"For insulting the life of your daughter…" Raven said slowly, with the pace of her inhales. "I apologize."

Terra nodded. Her eyes losing their feral yellow glow for just long enough. "Accepted."

Raven returned to an offensive stand. So did Terra.

Their last battle cry would echo through the temple in infamy.

…

"Astarte tu Jinx, why do you bother to rise when the end is already here?" Washu asked.

Jinx's body was trembling, keeping a ward between her fingers. The ward erected a barrier that spanned across their half of the battle ground. The size of the shield was draining her energy: though her feelings of comradeship for most of them was minimal, she had to protect Nightwing for Raven; she'd never be able to fight if he was defeated; and for her own personal heart, she had to protect Cyborg: just as Arsenal had to protect his wounded Sakura, Tempest to his Blackfire, Foxfire to protect Star. Each life was fighting for someone, just as Jinx had been fighting all along.

"Gosa! Turva Yerma Nocta Nor!" Jinx responded, not moving from her knight's kneel, keeping the herald of her ward tight in her mind.

"I can wait to destroy you after I've gathered Lethe and the Titans' leader to make my next sire. Trigon will be reborn to this world, Astarte. Your vein and pathetic life hasn't the longevity to stop me."

Washu's energy crashed against the guard and between her fingers, Jinx could feel her ward burn away. Her cat eyes widened when the wave of Washu's power struck against her and hurled her body to the ground. The blow stunned her, stunned them all and left them all to the Slade Syndicate's will.

…

It was a gasp. Not a scream. But it echoed through the corridor of the battle, ricocheting off the walls, ricocheting off of echoes to continue the short, sharp sound for what seemed like eons, though it was really only seconds.

Her long hair fell over her shoulders as her body hunched over. Her slender fingers found her wound. The blade had cut deeply, but smoothly, just under the curve of her breast plate. Her blood fell from the wound, falling over her fingers and pooling drop-wise on the surface of the ground between her feet.

_No… I can't die… not until I avenge… Akane…_

Terra waved her ax, her vision split between the wounded Raven and the weapon that had done it. Terra observed the edge of her stone ax and saw Raven's blood there. It stained her weapon in a vicious black color.

"Black blood… I should have known." Terra muttered under her breath.

Raven could hear her heartbeat, drumming in her ears at a pace meant to steal away her life.

**Beat, beat heartbeat.**

Her head lurched forward and back; her eyes flickering open and closed: forward; closed, backwards; open.

_Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…_

She found it difficult to concentrate, to call her healing powers to save her life. Not only was her heart racing to end her life, but over the drumming beat, she could hear Terra Nostra coming forward.

"Oh Rae… why does it feel that every time you and I fight… I win? Oh that's right! Because every time we fight, I crush you… did you think a few years would change that?"

Raven's feet shuffled as she dared to move her body backwards, keeping distance between herself and Terra Nostra. The blade of her sword dragged against the earth in a jumping tempo, slow and fast and tiring. As her body slunk backwards, she could see.

She could see Akane smiling.

Terra stepped forward by one step.

The wound tightened just a little.

Raven could see Nightwing, his hands touching hers.

Raven took a step backwards.

**Beat, beat heartbeat.**

Terra's slander moved through the beat of her heart and was lost.

Raven stepped backwards again.

She could feel it pooling in her mind, trying to find the leverage to take over. She sucked in a breath and forced herself to concentrate.

_Azarath Metrion Zinthos…_

The wound tightened just a bit more.

_Azarath Metrion Zinthos…_

Raven could see the first moment where her daughter and the man who held her heart first met.

_Don't lose control… concentrate… _

The wound stopped bleeding.

Raven took a single step backwards.

It rattled in the confines of her mind. It shook at the balance, forcing its power to grow and become something dangerous. Something whole, something that could take over and fight… and never stop fighting until the world ended.

Terra Nostra took a step forward.

_Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Do not let her out… _

Raven could remember how beautiful Akane's first words were. How gentle the first touch of Nightwing as her lover had been.

Terra Nostra took a step forward.

The wound closed, the blood lose kept her dizzy.

Terra Nostra took a step forward. She saw the daze in Raven's features, the defeat that the first blow could guarantee. Her tight, blue eyes narrowed down, taking to memory every inch of her true enemy. Raven's head snapped upwards as Terra's words cut against the cadence of her heartbeat.

**Beat, beat heartbeat.**

"This is really going to be a shame, Raven. This is the last time I'm going to see you alive. And you're weak and you're bleeding and you're still not better than me. Still not stronger than me…"

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

The weight of Terra's shadow staggered Raven's shoulders, her head dropped to her chest. The struggle to keep it back was hard to beat. She breathed, she tried to chant, she tried to stay conscious.

"If you were strong you wouldn't have let Choris die. You wouldn't have ruined Akane's future." Terra sneered.

And RAGE escaped.

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat heartbeat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

**Beat. Beat.**

Raven's roar catapulted Terra backwards as the flare of awesome energy, locked behind Raven's vault erupted and tore into the world. Her cerulean eyes were stained with the image of her. Four eyes. She had seen that before, but before those four eyes were red… now they were black, but no less intense, no less dangerous.

Her features were twisted in a wicked sneer. Her purple hair fanned out in the destructive energy that flowed from her body. Terra got to her feet. The geomancer watched the way the energy ran around Raven's body like a horrible halo, feeding into the surrounding, but more importantly, feeding at the shape of her blade. Terra couldn't tell if the weapon was getting stronger or been torn away at. The air became thick, the black whips of Raven's power were whipping out sharply, lashing against the air and Terra swore she felt them weakly on her body.

Terra smirked and took her weapon into an offensive stand, holding her body as if she were holding a war club, body turned to deliver the last blow. "This doesn't change anything, Raven. You can unleash your devil within all you want. But you're still not better than me!"

RAGE rose her left hand, the right one dangled at her side gripping her created blade, loosely as if an afterthought. The fingers of that left hand extended to their full length, outwards at the steadying Terra Nostra. Those fingers, that arm, that body were being encircled with incomplete tornadoes, spiraling in syncopation.

"Gontasa Wudas Cortora Blasis Wish Hotda!" (You're going back to where you belong!) RAGE's body screamed.

Terra gasped when the torrent of energy knocked her weapon from her hand in a fierce shot. The double edge ax spun and crashed into the earth, breaking apart with impact. Terra sneered and turned back to Raven, seeing there was no change in her expression, but she was moving closer.

"Yord Maska! Biren Dorsa Win Lorta!"

Terra's stone gauntlets shattered under RAGE's magic, grinding the strong wrist bones enough to make them break. Terra screamed and RAGE continued to move forward. Terra staggered backwards as far as she could until the stone band crown around her head crumbled. Her vision became blurred as the wound in her forehead opened and sliver of blood mixed with sweat ran into her eye.

"Boma! Loksa Vissa Tintora Lotan Jhakam Rorba Niy!"

"LAAA!" Terra's eyes turned to yellow and the ground beside Raven pulled up and collapsed around her, to catch her in a shell of the earth. The earth rebounded off of her terrible energy, leaving a corridor for Raven to continue to stalk through. Her hand remained extended, her sword dragged along the ground, her four eyes bathed in total blackness. Terra screamed when her chest guard was encircled with black energy and crushed inward, smashing her ribs and collar bone.

"Imosa Brida. Imosa Brida. Yisten Metsa Conpa Gokta?" (Tell me. Tell me. Was it cold in the stone?)

Terra gasped in horror as her body was pulled against her will. Her legs spread to the width of her shoulders. Her hands were pulled down to the side, palms open flared beside her narrow hips. Her head was forced to look forward to see Raven come forward and stop with her extended fingers less than a foot from her face.

Terra's eyes opened wide in terror as she felt the ground beneath her begin to tremble in power that wasn't her own. She stared into Raven's eyes and saw it there: the power that was going to end her life.

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

She could feel it. Every inch of her body was being taken over. From the ground, from that hard space under her feet, the earth rumbled and cracked, splitting and smashing together like waves crashing against the beach. She tried to calm it, but her powers weren't strong enough. She couldn't fight the source of the tremors until the quaking finally stopped. The earth slid up, inch by inch, covering her boots, wrapping around her ankles. She tried to pull herself free, but couldn't. It wasn't the earth wrapping itself around her… it was her becoming the stone again. It was the petrifaction claiming her, the earth calling her back to what she was.

The cold, cold feeling was running up her veins, following the path as more and more of her body submitted to the will of the world. Her heart pounded, drumming in her ears the most terribly sound she knew. Her lungs trembled with the exertion of her breath until the final sweep of the land closed in to devour her.

RAGE's four black eyes watched the seal finish, watched the power of the devil within her return Terra Nostra to the earth. Her energy backpedaled, returning to her aura. There she stood, the stone goddess Terra Nostra, locked away in the trap of her own element.

RAGE raised her hand and stared at the energy in her grip. Her cruel smile took over and twisted her features. RAGE had taken over and showed her power and her destructive appetite.

"Tordoras Corde Lethe Boyum Ookumai Hesberain!" (I have control of Lethe and I will rule all!)

Her body lurched suddenly; a tremor of dispute echoing out from inside her body. RAGE

found her control flex and weaken for just a second, Raven's purple eyes returned. The sword of her creation fell to the floor, vanishing into nothing, all the energy dispersing into the body that wielded her.

Raven's body moved, her face became tight with struggle. Her face tightened with pain. Her fists balled and shook at the sides of her chest. Into the air, she unleashed a destructive wave fueled by a world shattering scream.

…

Nightwing turned his head when he heard it.

"Raven?"

Something had echoed through the corridors, the trace was weak, but it was Raven's voice. Considering how far away his love was fighting, the volume of the scream had to be of a magnitude unimaginable.

It ran a chill up his spin.

A shoulder tackle knocked him to the floor. He landed solidly to see Cyborg on top of him and the wave of energy meant for his life missed. The cybernetic fighter got to his feet then exploded into the air with his sonic cannon. Nightwing got to his feet and saw D'ucel unleash a frenzy of Fox Shots, clouding the air in front of him. Arsenal's arrows exploded to keep the guard up and Nightwing realized what they were doing.

They had heard it too and were creating a distraction. Nightwing stared forward at the fight in his team. Blackfire's eyebeams. In his mind, a smiling Starfire flashed. Tempest's spin kick hurled rock fragments into the fray. In his mind, he saw Arsenal winking mischievously.

He saw all of his team. He closed his eyes just once and gave a silent thank you to all of them before he turned and ran from the battle. Behind his retreating an energy coil dashed to attack him. It never made it. Sakura and Jinx tumbled into the way, deflecting the attack with their combined stand.

…

Nevermore was trembling. HappinesS's feet slipped from under her. She was saved from the ground by TimiD and the two internal soldiers stared forward at what had become on Lethe's mind state.

"What do we do? We don't have the power to stop her." DespaiR yelled over the torrent of RAGE's waking energy. The spiral of red was taking form, spreading out into the pores of space that controlled Lethe's identity.

"The Mesamune! It must hold!"

The weaker states watched the sword echo its power to match the wind of RAGE. The energy spun through the void with destructive grace to match the uncontrolled fury in Lethe's most dangerous fraction.

Amethyst eyes watched the power clash and spiral around each other. From the pedestal beneath the energy of gold, the Mesamune emitted white energy, from the arch of RAGE, black might fought back.

TimiD and DespaiR covered their eyes while HappinesS and JoY braved to move forward. "They're winning! The Mesamune is winning!" JoY shouted.

"Because we believe in them! We may not be able to be strong for Lethe now… but we can be strong for Brave and Knowledge!" HappinesS shouted back.

The ring of Lethe tu Raven's mind stood in an arch on the land base south of the floating pedestal of the Mesamune.

In unison they all screamed the most powerful words they knew.

"AZARATH FAERIDOS REX!"

…

Nightwing slid and dashed between falling rocks and collapsing walls. His hands became cut and stained a thin path of blood against the cave walls and stones he used for balance. The floor collapsed beneath him, dropping him a story before he unleashed a grappling hook and returned him to base. He rolled tightly, letting the momentum push him forward in his desperate run to find her.

He found her.

He could see she was weakened from the curve of her body. But she was still strong. She was dressed in white, wearing a uniform reminiscent of their childhoods. Her white cloak fell down her back. Her black dress clung to her body, the long slit up the right leg allowed her body to move: to collapse forward and use a single hand a brace her fall. Her hand landed on the statue of Terra Nostra.

She gasped for breath as the fight in her mind calmed down. Each exhale dipped her head forward and each inhale brought it back. Her throat was dry and pained. Everything hurt. But she braved the pain and opened her eyes: her two beautiful amethyst eyes.

She heard the rumble and jumped backwards, realizing what she was touching. She stared down at her hand and found a clod of stone had rubbed off from the statue of Terra Nostra. Her eyes opened in terror, her hand mechanically turning to dump the clod from her hand. She took a step back. Nightwing took a step forward.

"Raven." He said.

She turned to him, terror still apparent in her eyes as she looked back to the partially mutilated statue. "I didn't mean to… I mean… I…I can't…"

"Raven." He said again and stepped closer. Her huge eyes were wavering, but his were perfectly still behind his mask. Her heartbeat calmed under his embrace. "The fact that no one will make the same mistake we did is punishment enough"

Raven nodded. He understood. Somehow he always did.

"Can you still fight?" He asked.

Raven nodded. Her energy ran through him and cleansed his body of wounds. Her finger tips touched just slightly, the cleaned cut on his palm. "Can you fight beside me?"

Nightwing nodded in response. Raven inhaled deeply before grabbing the edge of her cloak and twirling it over their heads: her energy wrapping around them and teleported them deeper into the cave.

End of part two.

Images of Fight Raven and Fight Terra, with weapons, are posted.


	58. The End pt3

The End

Part Three

_Get up. Get. Up._

It was hard to open her eyes; it was even harder to obey the command of the warrior part of her. But still it chanted in her head; demanded her to give more to the fight.

_Get up. Get. Up._

Starfire's green eyes blinked open slowly and the lack of color to the world would have scared her if she hadn't seen it before. In the temple of Scath, their bodies had been thrown around as if completely without value. Some were hunted, others were toyed with and some were lucky enough to be disregarded. Starfire pulled herself up as Cyborg and Tempest and her sister did the same. D'ucel, Arsenal, Jinx and Sakura were already standing and Washu showed no signs of standing down.

The battle for the most part was one sided. The Titans spent more time defending and evading rather than attacking, a situation they were not overly familiar with. Their communicators didn't ring with Bumble Bee's voice to give them any techniques, openings, or chances. It wasn't to stay they had inflicted no damage on the highest order of the Slade Syndicate, but it was to say that relatively, that damage done was minimal.

"So, does anyone actually have a plan?" Arsenal asked as the Titans stared down at the dark menace that was the Slade Syndicate.

"Yes." D'ucel responded. "We kick the butt."

Starfire nodded in agreement.

"We need something better than butt kicking." Cyborg responded.

"We need---" Tempest began.

"Everyone." Blackfire finished.

"Together." Sakura said.

"I hope Raven and Nightwing are undamaged."

"They are." Jinx said, turning her head to address the Titans. "They have to be."

"Astarte."

Jinx's cat eyes opened wide over the bruise a vicious blow from Slade had given her. Her sharp irises wavered when she turned her head back to see Washu, who hadn't suffered a blow since Nightwing had left the formation. The scar under his eye was white and had the Titans any manner of luck; the blow from Nightwing would have killed Washu: it would have killed any other man… but Washu was no man.

He moved faster than shadow, faster than Jinx had known he could. But what she knew didn't matter: in the true grand scheme she knew nothing and in the wicked eyes of Washu, she meant nothing.

The others gasped in horror as Washu's balled hand drew back, cloaked in a furious, stunning energy that could only have one purpose, coming from that source: to destroy.

"Sin." (Die.)

Jinx's scream of terror was masked both by Cyborg's yell of her name and the piercing cry of an awaking soul bird. The Titans gasped in relief as Washu's strike was halted as the menacing demon watched black energy lace the atmosphere of the gem pedestal room.

The blow from Washu's bane was absorbed into the flexing wing of Raven's soul self, the charge of energy crackled against the great energy body before it was pulled back revealing an undamaged Jinx and a furious Raven and a ready Nightwing.

Washu tilted his lips into a confident and menacing smirk. "Lethe. Boro." (Welcome.)

Raven levitated in the air, her white cloak billowing out like they were caught in the winds of heaven: though in truth, in their circumstance, heaven was the furthest distance for them to reach. Her purple hair flapped behind her, caught in the flow of all the dark energies in that place: the majority and the most powerful of which, in some manner, served Trigon.

"Already your body is alight in the great strength of your fertilely." Washu noted with amusement as the marks of Scath danced along Lethe tu Raven's body. "It may no longer be possible to release Trigon's might with the blood of Schala… but from the whelp of Lethe and the one, Nightwing, I can birth a power unfathomable to be feasted upon. Your body again, Lethe, and his energy again… my wicked heart trembles in anticipation."

The Titans felt a shuddering wind as the destructive potential in Raven swept through the air. Her right hand pressed forward, all the fingers of that hand pointed to Washu, while her eyes flashed in a dreadful white. Her mouth remained in a tight line as she squeezed her prophetic words from between her lips. "Are you satisfied with them: Your last words?"

The ground began to shake as Raven's battle cry filled all the silences in the air. Starfire grabbed Arsenal and Sakura, pulling them away from the direct path of Raven's power. Nightwing and Jinx tumbled clear, but stayed close as Cyborg blocked Tempest's smaller body with his sturdier one. The Titans watched as the atmosphere around them quivered behind the might of Raven's gifts. For the first time, Nightwing and Jinx could see emotion on Washu's face and it looked something akin to fear.

Raven threw her energy in a fanning beam of white energy.

_What is this power? What has become of her mind state to generate such strength?_ Washu's questions were left unanswered for the moment as Raven's white energy struck him and hurled him backwards. The stunned demon rose to his feet as Raven returned the ground, walking forward with her dark eyes trained on his face. Another blast erupted from her fingers, striking and throwing him back with a roar that was nearly lost in the hazard of Raven's power. The Titans stood stunned as the after effect of Raven's blasts made the ground shudder. They could hear the echoes of from great distances, deeper and further backwards in the cave, the sound of stone hammering and splitting into the Earth, the sound of Raven's fury at absolute.

Jinx studied Washu's struggle as a spell began to form on his lips. Jinx immediately summoned her abilities and matched his curse. Washu glared furiously, knowing it was Astarte who was preventing him from generating a barrier. Raven continued to stalk forward, her body passing Jinx's as their energies kept moving forward with Washu as their target.

A stunning blast hammering into Washu's chest, hurling the villain backwards. Raven's voice hammered into his ears, his dark eyes stretched wide to witness her approach. "You would marry me to the gates of Hell?" Another blast crashed into the wicked demon. Raven thrust her hands forward, the beam of energy striking where she wanted it to. "You would take from me again what was beautiful?" Washu gasped when Raven's energy wrapped around his body in a constricting ring. "You would curse my soul to the damnation of war games of Trigon?" Washu dropped to his knees in a freakish pain as Raven continued to bombard his body with terrible power. "You think I'd let you? I will send you to Hell first myself, as a soul to be forgotten!"

Washu struggled to maintain on his feet as Raven's power demanded his soul to break. His dark eyes were stunned by the incurable hatred in her gaze… incurable, but not undefeatable. He had heard the energy of the world change, he felt the sway of Lethe's power conquer other, less powerful energies, he knew what her dark powers had done. Everything in the distance was the same as right in front of them. Every standing pillar returned to the earth. Arsenal dove and tackled Sakura, rescuing her from the broken finger, rocked free with the echo of Raven's power, as it plummeted to the ground. The Titans moved their feet, rolled their bodies as the very air they were breathing became exposed to and changed by the depth and fury of Raven's power.

They had never seen Raven's energy strike white before: it was awesome, it was terrible, it was truly frightening.

Cyborg's feet sunk deeper into the shattering ground beneath them. The wind took his words, but carried them sharply to the ears of those who were close. "Is she in control of her powers?"

Tempest swallowed hard and continued to brace himself. "Heaven help us if she isn't."

Starfire dove in and pushed them further back from the fray of Raven's power. She and Foxfire turned their Tameranian tinted eyes to the march of Raven as she stood not feet away from Washu, her entire body radiating white energy, her hands pressed forward to deliver the deathblow.

Jinx's cat eyes became worried when she say the wicked smile on Washu's face. Raven stared down as Washu stared up, his words ready to cut her to the bone as her powers were ready to turn him to memory.

"An eye for an eye, my Lethe? Haven't you already received your vengeance lust satisfaction from the murder of Terra Nostra?"

The eyes of the Titans shifted suddenly, definitively to the tremble in Raven's shoulder.

"The statue of the geomorph crumbled to the ground because of your imperfect spell and uncontrolled fury. She has returned to the earth… dead beyond rebirthing magic." Washu's words were venom, cold and calculated, dripping from the slit of his mouth, under his cruel smile.

In his aim, he was successful. Raven's concentration wavered, and with it, everyone else's wavered. A flash of energy struck Raven and hurled her into Jinx. The blow knocked the hex weaver off her task and gave the full demon the time to weave his spell. An energy barrier circled around him.

Raven gritted her teeth, standing up as Jinx stood up beside her. Her energy pulled into the shape of a raven's claw and dashed forward, the sound of its motion cut a howl into the wind. The black energy smashed into the shield and rebounded. Raven pressed her energy again, but the barrier held, keeping Washu from Raven's wrath.

"Kuso! That barrier is strong." Sakura gritted from between her teeth.

"Jinx, can you faze through it?" Nightwing asked.

Jinx shook her head in the negative. "I've never seen his power this way… when a powerful creature gets desperate… that is when his enemies witness the true depth of his abilities."

"While he's behind it, he's getting his strength back. We can't let him get strong again!"

Jinx pulled free a slither of paper so thin it was transparent in some parts. "I don't have the ability to go through it… but I might be able to open it…"

"Might?"

"His magic is strong… to over come it I'll need all my strength and some time." Jinx replied.

"You have neither time nor strength!"

A fireball shoot through the air, aimed at Jinx and Raven. It was Blackfire who jumped in to interrupt the shot. A giant blackbolt met the pyromancy of Deathstroke, spinning the heated attack in her energy blast, where it sunk away in the fire of the sun. Blackfire twisted her hands into fists before turning her head back to her sister and Foxfire.

"Koriand'r! Surren'der! Mesna gotksa Umpora til Tameran!" (Sister, Foxfire! Let us act as Warriors of Tameran!)

D'ucel and Starfire nodded and took to the air. Starfire looked down beneath her to Arsenal and Sakura. "To give Jinx the time, occupy Slade. We will make it impossible for Washu to concentrate." Starfire's eyes were washed over with her righteous fury as the words hammered out of her warrior self. Sakura and Arsenal nodded, both turning well trained eyes to the executioner of the Slade Syndicate. Sakura and Arsenal leapt into the air together, their weapons pulled to unload their mastered skill. The hiraikotsu whirled down through the air trained to take Slade out. With a power driven grunt, a blast of fire escaped Slade's body, blasting its way to strike the giant boomerang head on. The fireball met the weapon head on and knocked the hiraikotsu off its course, what it didn't do was block the charging arrow hidden behind it.

Starfire watched the knockout arrow from the male Titan redhead before turning her attention back to Washu. "Now it is our turn to assist!"

A Starbolt, a Blackbolt and a Fox Shot were held tightly in powerful hands, their fists balled and drawn back. The three Tameranian powerhouses dove downward from the air, their bodies acting as one as they assaulted, head on the magic of Washu's barrier.

Nightwing and Raven waited, standing in front of Jinx as the hex weaver's dark words stormed out in rapid succession. Every curse she knew she mended together in a string to be powerful enough to rip the might of Washu apart.

Jinx could not be distracted from her hex work, but the sound of the clash beyond the magnitude needed to draw Nightwing and Raven's eyes to the barrier… where the magic of Washu rebounded the Tameranian warriors powerfully away, all three of them being lost in a furious white light.

"Starfire! Fox!" Cyborg yelled.

"Blackfire!" Tempest echoed.

Sakura and Nightwing blocked their eyes around the raging retaliation energy. When the light dimmed they saw their friends, thrown against the floor, struggling to sit up. Above them were dark mirror images of themselves.

Dark Star.

Night Fire.

Black Fox.

The wicked trio looked down at their counterparts, smiling cruelly at the creatures they had been born from.

"What is that?" Arsenal asked.

"Their dark sides… it seems that when they met Washu's barrier with their entire bodies, Washu was able to manifest their cruelty, hatred and warrior brutality into physical bodies." Raven replied.

Dark Star laughed. "And now that we are free, we shall destroy the weakness that we are bound to!"

Starfire gasped when a dark starbolt came heralding from her dark self. The blow crashed into her as eyebeams from Night Fire hammered into her sister and a punch from Black Fox knocked Foxfire across the temple. The three slammed back first into the temple walls, groaning over the pain inflicted into their persons.

"We have to help them!" Tempest shouted as he watched the Tameranian trio struggle to their feet as their dark counterparts charged in to continue the fight.

"How can you help them, when you have your own darkness to battle?" Washu's energy waved out in a deadly curve.

Sakura and Raven leapt in front of Jinx as the concentrating hex weaver was targeted for a blow. Sakura crossed her arms in a protective guard and Raven's wings expanded to block the charge. Washu's energy cut through Raven's energy and struck out, spiraling and cutting the energy. Raven screamed in pain as the guard of her energy was washed away. Washu's power struck Raven, Cyborg, Tempest, Arsenal, Nightwing and Sakura. Sakura watched the trace of Holy rebound the attack and watched Raven's magic repel it as well. It was only because of the truths she knew that she didn't question why the energy repelled off of her Dear Brother as well. She turned her head, away from Nightwing to see the ray of power strike Arsenal and pull his dark side away. Arsenal dropped to the ground as the Bleak Arrow pulled himself free. The cruel, dark energy archer pulled taunt an arrow and trained his sights on Sakura.

"Come on Sakura, baby. Give us a kiss."

Sakura sneered and readied her fists. Tempest managed to remain standing as Tsunami emerged from his body. Cyborg stumbled backwards; the Machine stared down at him. Machine turned his sonic cannon and blasted Cyborg point blank. "Booyah." Machine said coolly.

Nightwing watched his sister take a straight boot to her chest as Starfire and Dark Star did battle stories above his head. A few feet back he could see Raven kneeling in front of Jinx, her protective barrier keeping any of the fury of battle away from the hex artist. In his peripheral vision he could see the three demons working their energies in opposite directions. He could hear Jinx's dark words, he could feel Washu's dark presence and he could see Raven's dark summons, but in all of them, Raven was different. Raven wasn't trying to attack or destroy; she was what was good in dark things: that which would defend in any absence of light, even if that absence was somehow a fault of her own.

The body of Tsunami was hurled past his vision and Tempest continued his assault; dark and gold arrows were shot in opposite directions while Sakura's flip flops allowed her to dodge stray bolts.

Nightwing was the only one of them not directly engaged in battle, so he was the one to see what the warring Titans could not. While they pushed their twisted mirrors backwards, their dark menaces countered more fiercely, moving them all in the same direction.

Towards Jinx and the barrier that was allowing her to keep her concentration.

Nightwing turned his eye to Raven and could tell from her set face that she had realized it to. Raven held her knight's kneel as Nightwing retrieved his dark bird-a-rang blade. In the air, Night Fire tackled Komand'r, slamming the alien princess into a cave wall. Tempest felt the wall over his head quake and turned to see, his distraction caused him to narrowly avoid a thunderous punch from Tsunami. A spin kick from his dark genesis knocked Tempest to the side, slamming his hip into a broken pillar.

"You don't deserve her." Tsunami leered. "With you out of the way she'll be all mine! You're too weak to be good enough."

Tempest sneered before pivoting his hips to launch from the ground, his lifting kick knocked Tsunami across the cave. "You don't know anything about me and I will never let you lay one hand on my woman!"

Tsunami was the first of the twisted mirrors to fall. A spinning cut from Nightwing's dark bird-a-rang blade severed the creature in half. The broken fragments returned to Tempest's body, just as Arsenal was thrown into him care of a wild dark starbolt, one amongst a fury of them that were chasing a fleeing Starfire.

"Why do you even fight you, worthless girl?" Dark Star yelled. The warrior unleashed her eyebeams. The energy jets crashed into Starfire and the pretty Tameranian hammered into the ground. A blizzard of dark starbolts followed until Dark Star descended to the smoking hole her powerful blows had created. Starfire staggered to her hands and knees, turning her dirt stained face to her twisted mirror. Dark Star smiled wicked. "I know for the fact that everyone here fights for what they love and those who love them! Komand'r fights for Tempest and Arsenal fights for Sakura and Nightwing fights for his Raven. Why continue fighting when no one is in the love with you?"

Starfire's eyes flashed a furious green. She unleashed a battle cry, her eye beams charging and striking her dark side. Dark Star took the blow, her feet dragged along the temple floor, cutting deep furrows as the force hurled her halfway across the temple. Starfire got to her feet and followed.

Cyborg and the Machine traded blows until an uppercut threw Cyborg's body away as if a broken toy. Nightwing dashed in, his weapon turned to cut the Machine in half. His eyes widened hugely as the Machine turned and cut his descending wrist. "I don't think so, little bird. I've had enough of you trying to boss this big man around." The Machine drew back his beam cannon. Before he could unleash a blast, he was tackled by Foxfire, throwing Nightwing from danger. Foxfire kept his pin of the Machine until he slammed him into a pillar, sinking the dark-Cyborg into a pill of rubbish. D'ucel ascended into the air and unleashed his Fox Shots until Black Fox caught him in a Tameranian submission hold.

"How did a weakling like you become the high warrior of Tameran? You fail in great battles and you will fail here!"

A starbolt crashed into Black Fox, causing him to release his grip. Both versions of Foxfire turned and saw Starfire ragging with her Tameranian fury. "Leave him alone!" A tackle from Night Fire kept Star from starting her assault and dark starbolt knocked Foxfire back towards the ground.

Arsenal and Bleak Arrow ran in a circle in the same direction, unleashing arrow after arrow after arrow. An exploding arrow stopped the Bleak Arrow in his tracks, coughing and partially blinded. The wind parted just enough for him to see the destruction heading toward him. The hiraikotsu cut through the twisted mirror, rending the dark creation in half before returning to Arsenal's body. Arsenal turned his masked eyes to his love as she caught her weapon on its return path. He smiled coolly as she wiped her bangs from her sweating face.

He had known all along that she had the power to defeat his dark side.

A dark starbolt caught Nightwing and hurled him along the ground for several feet before he dropped his hand to slow his path. His earth burned body came to a stop under a shadow that had loomed in his life for longer than any shadow should. He rolled his shoulders and hips to spin his body to his feet just as Slade's heel hammered into the cobblestone.

Slade turned his masked face to meet Nightwing's. Both men stood at their absolute heights. Slade reached behind his back and retrieved his bo-staff, extending it to its full length. "I've dreamt of this day for years Nightwing… when I believed that you were dead. I fought you in my dreams when I was terrified that you failed to exist."

"I don't care!"

"No, you don't. All you care about is the impossible: loving Raven, remaining the good guy, defeating me… now that I know the class of your survival ability… I can literally tear you limb from limb!"

Their weapons clashed, rivaling the sonic shots delivered back and forth between Cyborg and the Machine. The Machine had gotten cocky, teasing the cybernetic fighter he was born from. It had taken only two names to unleash the total rage in Cyborg's body, tearing the elements of the Machine piece by piece until it had nothing to do but break. Cyborg touched the platting of his chest where the Machine had sunk into fully. He might not be able to get rid of that dark part of him, but he could beat it.

All of them could.

Slade took a string of shots to his body, dealing just as many back to the Titans' leader. Nightwing grunted furiously, his legs spinning out in flash kicks, his upper cuts hammered into Slade's mask. The blows he dealt to Slade's mass staggered the older fighter, crush elbows threw his head back. When Slade twisted his neck back, his eye opened wide as he watched Nightwing descend from the air.

In the air behind Nightwing's head, Star, Blackfire and D'ucel were floating back to back to back. The trio backed up tightly until their shoulders were nearly touching in their taut ring. Around them, Black Fox, Night Fire, and Dark Star floated, holding their energies in their hands. Starfire dropped her hand to her sides, grabbing one of D'ucel's hands and one of her sisters. On the other side, Blackfire grabbed Foxfire's hand. With their hands locked, their eyes echoed their righteous fury and three prisms of light radiated from the space between their bodies. Their powers mixed in a massive sphere of energy: the blues slid over the purples and greens until the energies ceased to be separate energies and formed one sparkling ball. Together their battle cries swallowed all the silence and that energy fanned out enveloped everything in the power of the sun.

The energy cleared to find Night Fire, Black Fox and Dark Star returned to where they belonged, in the small weak place in each of their hearts. The Tameranian trio turned their heads as they heard Nightwing's battle cry cut through the remaining silence.

"Hiyaaaa!" Nightwing drew his dark bird-a-rang blade behind his head and dropped down in a perfectly vertical cut. The sound of metal on metal was sharp in Nightwing's ear as he landed in a tight crouch, his weapon held tightly in his hand. His hair fanned out behind him as the wind of Slade's motion pushed the air. Nightwing didn't look up, he had felt it under his weapon that Slade had evaded, Slade's feet connecting with the ground after his back flip only confirmed with his body knew. He was in his knees still when the severed mask fell from Slade's face to his feet. The hard metal crashed to the ground, halved perfectly by Nightwing's sword. Slade covered his face with his hand, taking a step backwards.

"Another day Nightwing. Another day." His free hand charged his pyromancy. He grunted with the excursion of his ill begotten fire powers. The fire ball screeched through the air. The fireball arched like a snake to strike down Nightwing. The Titans' leader turned his weapon to combat the blow, instead a black guard rebounded the charge. Nightwing turned his head to Raven and watched her recall her power. The move was what Slade needed to make his escape.

Arsenal would not let it be that easy. The agile archer charged an arrow and unleashed it over the shoulders of Raven and Nightwing, pushing their hair in the path of the arrow, the long locks in slow motion it seemed before the bolt cut through the wind and struck Slade in his exposed face. Before Arsenal could follow the assault, he heard something that changed the focus of the battle.

"Endari Ende Mortix!"

The curse in Jinx's hand moved like a living thing, like the flow of water as it thinned out and seeped into the air. The fragile paper found Washu's barrier and gripped the dome of energy. They all watched as the paper began to melt a wound in the barrier only six inches long and four inches deep. Raven watched Jinx struggle to open the patch wider.

"It needs to be bigger."

"I can't! I can only hold it this size… do something before it closes!" Jinx yelled.

Neither of them thought about it. Somehow they both knew that it had to be done. Nightwing and Sakura ran forward, standing on either side of the barrier. The hole was just large enough for them to stick their fingers in. From the right, Nightwing gripped, from the left, Sakura held and from both sides, they pulled.

Washu's eyes widened in horror as the siblings managed to grab his barrier. The strain of their face should their struggle, but more than that it showed their success. Their feet dragged and they pulled with all their might, tiny fragments of energy, in gold and white, too small for them to see, ate away at the barrier under their fingers. Their eyes were pulled tight closed, their teeth gritted firmly. Sakura slanted her body low to the ground and Nightwing pulled with all his strength.

"Lethe! Now!" Jinx shouted.

The Titans felt the air change as Raven sunk into her soul self and dove forward. The wound between the siblings was just large enough for her energy to seep through. Raven's energy sunk over all of them as she passed, stealing tiny pulses on their life energies. When her energy washed over Nightwing, Jinx and Sakura, their concentration was lost. The barrier closed when Jinx and the siblings dropped to the floor, leaving Raven trapped alone with Washu in his barrier.

The tiny pulses of their life energies swarmed in a crystalline ball in between Raven's hands. Raven's eyes flashed white as the energy sunk into hers and her eyes between a brilliant white.

Outside the barrier, Nightwing helped his sister to her feet and saw her eyes flash white. He blinked rapidly and turned to his team. Cyborg's eyes were white, Jinx's whose were normally a pink wave of energy were white, and the green of Starfire was masked in white, as the purple and blue of Blackfire and D'ucel were. Arsenal and Tempest, whom never had their powers wash over their eyes, were staring forward in white.

Nightwing turned his head back to Raven, in that motion, his eyes flashed white as well.

Washu trembled in horror as his energy barrier was breached by a power more magnificent than anything he had ever seen. Raven's eyes shifted from white as her hands raised above her head, white wings emerging from her back.

"AZARATH FAERIDOS REX!"

The energy spiraled outward like a hurricane, shredding through the air and the energy of Washu's barrier like a sword through paper. The concentrated energy, the souls of all the Titans – Starfire's green, Arsenal's red, Cyborg's blue, everyone's life energy slammed into Washu. Each life energy became a soul solider that dove forward – Sakura's threw an energy hiraikotsu, Tempest's hurled an energy tide, and together, Nightwing and Raven's energy stood back to back: Nightwing rose his left hand, Raven rose her right and together they sent the entire army of the Titans power forward.

With an amazing blast of light and a terrifying roar of pain, Washu was destroyed.

…

She sat in the vanity while the combs were run through her hair. She sat quietly with her hands folded over each other; the white gloves were soft and noiseless as they rested on top of her lap.

Her lashes fluttered closed softly then opened again, revealing her delicate amethyst eyes. Sakura and Starfire finished the last weaves of Raven's thick bun, pulling the crown of the veil in place of the soon to be bride. Blackfire had painted her lips delicately in a pale pink that was her something new. The tiny jewel in the center piece of her jeweled crown was a pearl, a gift from Sakura, as something blue. The silver necklace was forged from metal that was normally very heavy, but sat delicately in the nape of her neck, molding in the shape of an infinite symbol behind a full moon: it was a birthright of Starfire's and served as something borrowed.

"It's almost time." Sakura said softly.

Raven stood up and smoothed out her dress, though it was as immaculate as when she sat down. The strapless dress curved to her perfect figure, highlighting every soft inch of her mature body.

"Do you have the nerves?" Starfire asked.

Raven shook her head in the negative. "I've never been happier in my life."

"Never more beautiful either."

The four Titan females turned their heads to the door. There he stood, looking not a single day older than they had last seen him.

"Beast King?"

The green animorph smiled and rubbed the back of his head. The motion rustled his pressed black suit. "I'm a little bit more low key these days. Call me Garfield."

"Garfield. It's so wonderful to see you again."

"You too… hey girls, could you let me and Rae talk a bit alone?"

Star, Blackfire and Sakura consented. "We'll be waiting outside the door."

Raven nodded. When the door closed the two of them stepped closer to each other. Raven smiled up at the taller Garfield Logan and he smiled gently down at her. "Once," Garfield admitted, "Once, a long time ago, I had hoped it would be you and me walking down the isle." He said gently, touching the moon pale woman's face.

"You know for a few months, so did I."

Garfield laughed. "We were stupid kids then."

"No, just meant for better things."

"You're more beautiful now than we I saw us doing. It was my biggest dream for it to be you and me down the isle."

"It still can be… would you give me away?"

"Raven."

"Raven."

"Raven."

"RAVEN!"

The moon pale woman shook her head as the yell interrupted her dream. She blinked her huge eyes, turning to find Victor Stone holding her arm.

"What is it?"

"The march is about to begin. Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes… I just had a dream. I had a dream Beast King came back for the wedding."

"I understand. I'm sorry we couldn't find him… we should all be here for this. It's not everyday our little birds go and get married."

"Thank you for giving me away, but you could have come as you are… not as…"

Victor looked down at his hands, the big meaty hands that would have been his if things had been different. The rings on his fingers, he had told himself he was done with them, but some things were bigger than his pride. "I know you never had issues with my being half machine, but for today it isn't about me. It's about you and Richard and I wanted this to be as close to perfect as I could make it."

Raven sighed contentedly. "Thank you, for everything."

"Same to you, Rae. Same to you."

The wedding march began and the maid of honor and the best man walked side by side to the alter to stand beside Sakura, Tempest, Bruce Wayne and the waiting Richard Grayson. Roy took his place and so did Starfire before the bride made her way to the alter. Raven's heart beated beautifully as she moved to stand closer and closer to Richard Grayson. The march ended and the bride and groom to be turned to each other. The small wedding party watched amethyst eyes meet gold-brown when Richard moved lift her veil. He couldn't help himself: he kissed her long before it was time, desperate to feel her against him in a moment that would be one of their most precious in their history together. Raven blushed and closed her eyes, thankful for everything that lead to that moment. The reverend cleared his throat and the wedding party giggled together and proceeded through the ceremony.

At the right moment Arsenal produced the ring and when the call for objections rose, no one had a reason or the will to stop the union. Raven Roth's ring was slid onto Richard's hand, making him hers and Richard Grayson's ring slid onto hers, making her Mrs. Raven Grayson.

Joyfully, Richard kissed his bride again and the party cheered. Cake slices were lovingly rubbed into each others faces, a garter belt was tossed to the crowd, landing on D'ucel, who was more than confused, but cheerful none the less. The banquet was launched and a catfight the likes of which Roy, Victor, Orin, and D'ucel had never seen waged between the unwed Titan females. It was an exhausted Sakura who came up victorious. Bruce bumped the blushing archer, who turned red then sank through the floor.

The dance of Richard and Raven seemed to last hours rather than the few short minutes it really was. Raven's cheek rested gently in Richard's shoulder, their bodies pressed tight together, her hand in his, her fingers on his chest, his against her lower back. They moved together with her eyes closed, feeling every beat, beat heartbeat and loving it all.

Rice was thrown at their getaway car and the Titans with Bruce Wayne watched them disappear towards their honeymoon.

They would return in one month to Jump City and Titans' Tower, ready to continue their roles as the defenders of Truth, Justice and Pizza.

The End of Chapter Sixteen.

A/N

So far this story is 858 pages.

This story isn't over.


	59. The Mask of Noal pt1

The Mask of No-Al

Part One

The wind was perfect. It fluttered over his nose gently, tickling the skin of his face as the warm gust danced through the leaves of the trees. Richard scrunched his nose a bit to fight off a sneeze; his eyes remained close, but when he felt fingers tapping his nose gently, he knew exactly who it was.

It was the woman who held his heart, it was the woman who made him happier than he had believed possible, it was the woman whose lap his head rested in. Richard felt her fingers ghost over his nose, around his cheek, dusting over the shell of his left ear before deciding to play over the wide width of his forehead. Richard sighed contently as Raven's fingers became lost in his long hair.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful day. Raven sat with her back against a giant oak tree, her long purple tress was braided with the twisted lock of hair falling over her shoulder. Richard could feel her humming, the beat matched perfectly with the dance of her fingers on his body. The warmth of their bodies spread and wrapped around Richard. He swore there was nothing that could make him leave that spot.

Something round and cool bumped against the arch of his bare foot. Richard scrunched his face and Raven giggled gently, turning her head in the direction it had come from. He didn't have to open his eyes to know there was a smile on her face. Richard felt the patter of feet through the ground even though they were very far away when they stopped to yell his name.

"Get the ball, Daddy!" Her little voice carried over the wind. Her bare feet had stopped feet away when the wind picked up and threatened to take her straw woven hat. As it was her jet black hair and bright yellow dress were waving in the gentle breeze. Richard loved the sound of Choris' voice.

"Daddy, the ball!" Another seven year old girl shouted. Richard felt Raven's fingertips dance along his forehead. Akane's purple hair was pulled up in chignons and decorated with butterfly clips, keeping everything but her bangs from flapping with her voice in the wind. The purple eyed little girl stood side by side with her sister, jumping up and down excitedly, waiting for Richard to respond.

Richard kept his eyes closed and took in every inch of the sounds around him. Raven tapped his nose gently with her index finger. "You better do what they say, they out number you." She giggled gently. Richard smiled and opened his eyes, looking up at his beautiful wife. On top of her head was a crooked laurel that the girls had made before running off to play with their ball. Her eyes were a bit tired, but very happy, her face held that expression that was hard to explain in any other words but content. But Richard knew in the depth of his soul that she felt much more than content. He sat up gently, careful with how his body met hers and gathered the blue rubber ball at his feet. He stood, his jeans and oxford shirt rustling against the wind and his skin as he moved the distance to his daughters.

He squatted down between the two girls and presented the ball in one hand. Akane had to take it using both her smaller hands. "Thank you, Daddy!" Both girls chirped.

"Your welcome, little loves. Be careful with your new clothes okay?"

"I won't get my new dress dirty, Daddy. I promise." The dark-tressed Choris promised.

"Daddy, when we leave the picnic, can we get ice cream?" Akane asked, blinking her huge amethyst eyes.

"Of course we can, sweetheart. We just need to let Mommy rest a while okay?"

Both girls nodded and turned back to playing with their ball. Richard watched his little girls, their laughter the sweetest sounds he knew. His bare feet dragged along the grass. From his right he could see his dancing angels, his Akane and his Choris, and from his left he could see his resting angel, his Raven, with her eyes closed.

She was always so tired, but so very happy, when she was pregnant.

Richard laid down, turning his head in her lap so the warmth of her full belly rested against his cheek. He felt her hand gently take his and move it on top of her tummy. His son was kicking again. Richard smiled, the movement of his muscles tickled Raven's maternity clad body. He felt her sigh and he sighed too, his fingers moving under hers to touch that part in her belly where their son's energy was strongest.

_Hurry up and get here kid._ Richard thought. The wind pushed against his body softly, carrying the sounds of Akane and Choris and Raven's breathing to his ears. Richard closed his eyes to rest gently with his wife. _Come on, kid… there's so many beautiful things waiting for you…_

Nightwing woke up suddenly, but his mind lacked any confusion on time and location. It was nearing nine in the morning and he was in the room that he shared with Raven in Titans' Tower.

Two years passed and the lives of the Titans flexed and shifted and eventually split apart. The death of Galfor returned the Tameranians home. Tempest followed his fiancée. He had hoped to marry on Earth, but cared more for Blackfire than the comfort of familiarity.

In the two years since Washu had been destroyed, things had changed. The Titans' West Tower was rather empty: just Cyborg, Jinx, Raven and Nightwing. Nightwing was beginning to understand the empty next syndrome. Celine made no contact with the Titans or the AGU for years. It was unclear if she had ever found Beast King. Bumble Bee couldn't be satisfied with just knowing that her best friend was out there, so she established a second tower, in Steel City and called her team Titans' East: Bumble Bee, Hotspot, Flash, Arsenal and Sakura Chloe. Originally that Titans' crew was designed to handle tracking Beast King and the Omicron, but over time they fell into the super hero routine that had come so naturally to them since they were teenagers.

When they were teenagers, impossible was nothing and anything they wanted to happen would because they were the good guys and they had the authority and the will to see that the world behaved in the way they saw fight. Nightwing turned to his side and saw Raven sleeping still on her side, her back facing the window, her peaceful face facing his body. His hand reached down mechanically, finding her stomach and was disappointed to find it flat. Nightwing kept his eyes closed and slowed his train of thought, because that was what controlled the rate of his grief.

His eyes opened with Raven's hand entwined in his. His eyes turned to hers slowly. She was still sleepy. He hadn't meant to wake her.

"A dream?" She asked.

Nightwing nodded.

"A nightmare then?"

Nightwing sighed and nodded again. "Only because it will never come true."

Nightwing climbed out of bed and went to stand by the huge glass window. The sun wasn't really making itself known. Clouds were cruising along the sky at a pace that they flowers and water below them wouldn't appreciate. It didn't seem like a day for growing, it didn't seem like this were changing.

"What was your dream?" Raven asked. She was the only person who could creep on him and the only person whom he wouldn't mind when she did it. She stood behind him and rested her cheek against his back, her arms wrapping around his strong middle. They were twenty three years old, Raven older by a few months. They were beautiful and powerful people, but Nightwing knew they were incomplete.

"I dreamt we were all together… all of us."

Nightwing felt his wife's muscles tense. Her head rubbed to and fro along the deep plane of the muscles in his back. He hated it when she cried, she always fought the tears so hard. It was impossible to forget the wounds in their hearts: the space in that sacred and scarred place reserved for the names of two girls; their girls, the daughters they had lost. There was no amount of time that would make a parent forget their child, no senility, to more recent pain, no promise of anything else… they knew they'd never forget and they knew that if they wanted to, they could move forward.

"Richard, we don't have to be Titans forever. We can… move forward."

Nightwing turned and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. His finger tips skirted over the exposed expanse of skin on her back. He knew she could feel his heartbeat under her cheek. He touched her stomach then touched her face, tilting her chin so she looked him in the eye. Before he said a word, she knew everything he wanted her to know.

"I'd really like… for us to be a family."

…

"Come on old man! I know you're faster than that!"

Arsenal's arrows flashed out: cutting through the wind and exploding on impact. His sparring partner danced between them, using his powers only when it was absolutely necessary.

"What's with the fire, Spedaris? You get a girl on your arm and you're a better fighter!" The Green Lantern joked, moving in to crash his fist into Arsenal's body. Arsenal blocked, his bow catching John's fist. He spun his weapon and pushed the Green Lantern's body off center. Arsenal capitalized and caught his mentor with a spin kick that knocked him to the floor.

The Green Lantern turned over onto his back and looked up at his challenger. "Alright, you win."

Both men laughed as Arsenal pulled the Green Lantern to his feet. John clapped Arsenal's back in a congratulatory manner, smiling as the younger redhead smiled back. "I'm glad you younger bunch are here in Steel City, I'm getting too old for this super hero thing."

"You were too old years ago, but you kept doing it." Arsenal replied. He took a set on the edge of the roof top, looking over the expanse of Steel City. In the distance was the Titans East tower. It had been his home for the last year and a half, since Bumble Bee decided that there was more to their lives than the dangers of Jump City: that not knowing where their friends were was a more treacherous ground than not knowing where their enemies were.

"You've done good Roy." John said firmly.

"Hmph." Arsenal responded.

"What was that about?"

"I'm sure I've done good, but I think I can do more… to get that last little bit of uncertainty out of me."

"She's waiting for you." John said.

"What?"

"Sakura. When you introduced me to her, I saw it all in her eyes. She is Bruce Wayne's daughter after all: her capacity for great things is limitless."

"I know that. Boy, do I know that."

"Then why worry?" John asked.

"Because there's plenty to worry about."

Arsenal's eyes widened at the new voice. His masked eyes turned behind his head and looked past John to see the massive figure blocking the sun. He could see John's eyes open wide, that someone had snuck up on him and who that someone was turned his blood cold.

…

Jinx hated biting her nails. It hurt so she didn't do it. But something was making her do it. She just couldn't put words to what that something was. Jinx was one of two people in Titans' Tower that ever really had anything to worry about. Of course, the history of Nightwing was still very much a mystery to her, but from her best assumptions, his past watch wasn't so unshakable or on the magnitude of what hers or Raven's were. Jinx felt anxious for the first time in a long time. She hadn't felt so tight in her stomach sense she had met Kid Flash with all his charms. But this was different, this didn't feel good… even though it should… something was hanging over her. She felt it in her blood, trying to pollute the thing that was lovely within her.

She was standing in the common room, looking out the window when Sakura arrived through the door.

"Hey, Jinx." The long haired fighter said as she came in.

"Hello, Sakura." Jinx replied, looking at her through the glass reflection, rather than turning to look at her. Sakura dropped her weapon by the counter and looked around the empty common room. Cyborg was in the city, having a meeting with Fixit about new modifications and meeting Fixit's partner, Go-To. Since Fixit had rediscovered his flair for life, Cyborg and gained a new one as well: which he shared rather enthusiastically with Jinx.

Jinx had adopted the surname Stone, though she and Cyborg were not married. It was hard to understand if Jinx accepted the sanctity and commitment of marriage, she wouldn't even attend Raven's. Jinx and Cyborg shared a bedroom, shared a bed and shared the responsibility of protecting Jump City, though really they were always looking for one thing: Brother Blood.

They were hopelessly looking for the wrong man.

"Jinx, are Raven and Nightwing about?" Sakura asked.

Jinx nodded, rubbing her thumb under her chin. Sakura shook her bangs with her right hand and did her best to shake that feeling she got when she didn't totally understand what was going on around her.

Leads had come up empty, Arsenal was training, and every minor squabble in Steel City could easily be handled by the three other members of Titans East. Sakura came to visit her brother after a long visit with her father. The half-Japanese fighter took a seat at the counter and waited a few seconds before Nightwing and Raven entered the room.

"Ohayo!" Sakura greeted.

"Good morning, Sakura. What brings you here?" Raven asked.

"Boredom. So, I decided to pay a visit."

"You're bored with being Steel City's darling?"

"Its no where near as rewarding as being Jump City's darling, that's for sure."

"I take it you didn't want to train with Green Lantern this time?"

"Iie. I let the boys have their play time. Arsenal always spars better after a workout with the Lantern." Sakura replied.

The four of them sat in silence for a few seconds. Sakura drummed her knee. Jinx was the one who turned from the window and looked at the three Titans in her presence; though her focus was on Raven and that concentrated look on her face. "What?" Jinx asked.

Raven frowned a bit, unsure of what she saw in Jinx's features that gave them both an unsettled feeling. "I suppose, you should be the first to know our news."

"News?"

Nightwing nodded. "We've been thinking and talking and we decided that it's about time we started thinking about---"

The end of Nightwing's sentence was swallowed by the opening of a communications line. Nightwing frowned and Jinx stepped backwards to get a good view of the screen.

"I hope the next words you were about to say were 'our approaching demise', otherwise you'd be completely mistaken."

"Slade!"

"Yes." It had been two years since they had last heard that voice, two years since any of them had thought about the cruel tone that could drip venom and create nightmares in all of their sleep.

"Can't you stay dead?"

"As it seems, the answer to that particular question is no. But then again, I never planned on dying."

"No one cares what you're planning!"

"Oh but you do, Nightwing. You do very much… because what I have planned is very much tied into you."

"We've heard a rant like that before Slade! Since we annihilated your last Syndicate, did you make another catch?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura? You're here? It seems I wasted an effort then… But to answer your question: another? No… I just transitioned to a higher authority."

The screen pulled back just slightly to reveal the length of a weapon. The Nightwing's eyes wrapped around the curve of the brown, wooden handle up until the handle met a sturdy, sharp blade. Sakura's eyes widened as well as another weapon, a duel edge swallow was lined up against that very familiar spear.

"That's…"

"The spoil of war for my mentor, the master I studied under for years… you know his name well, but I believe a visual demonstration is best." Slade dropped the weapons in his hands and lifted something infinitely more dangerous. The bronze mask was cut in a devil's grin with fierce horns and detailed jewel patterns that added cruelty to the masks demonic features. But for Sakura and Nightwing, there was no need to add more cruelty, that mask was the one thing that haunted them no matter how hard they ran.

Sakura screamed and dropped to her knees, covering her head with her hands. Nightwing stumbled backwards, falling to the floor, barely able to keep the bile in his throat. He shook his head furiously.

"It can't be!" He screamed.

"But it is." Slade replied. The view on screen panned to the side to review a man sitting in shadow, his massive body weaved into the lotus position. Slade turned and slide the mask to that man, who turned his head in profile, revealing a glistering gold eye before his mask slid in place.

"Yosh. Vordia Boska Inbroma Hendes Hadesi."

Jinx and Raven trembled together, those words were Azarathian: the cruelty of them entered their bodies. It swam through Jinx's blood and it found a nest in the pit of Raven's stomach.

"He has acquired a few new skills, but I do believe you still remember No-al." Slade said.

Sakura's body trembled, Nightwing's fingers twisted around the cloth on her arm; she could barely lift her tear soaked face to see the monster who had killed their parents.

"He lusts for the rest of your lineage's blood… He can't be satisfied to let the whelps of Asuka and Ueno live. He wants to devour them as well."

Nightwing gritted his teeth and stood up. His sister looked up at him, his fists shaking at his side. Every breath exploded through his body, pushing his chest out and in and out again, in an uncontrolled fury. Nightwing knew what this was… and he was no longer going to run from it.

Jinx was the most surprised to hear his words. "When do we do this?"

"That all depends," Slade said, turning his eye back to his mentor. "When do you want to die? That is what will happen. The fated four are slated for destruction within this cave of Ledona. So come Jinx and Raven and especially you, Nightwing and Sakura. Especially you."

The communication thread was cut. Jinx's finger turned off the monitor. She turned to the three Titans before her, her face unable to hide her absolute horror.

"Richard?" Raven said, taking a step to him.

Sakura got to her feet, whipping the last of her tears away. It had been so long, so many years, but with a simple glance, every little bit of security she felt was washed away, just like it had been fifteen years ago. She had been just a girl and her Dear Brother had been so young when a monster took away everything they knew… and the monster that was No-al was back.

Without a glance, Sakura and Nightwing turned to run and meet Slade's challenge head on.

"Richard!"

Raven could see that he was going to ignore her and morphed quickly to land directly in his path. He skid to a stop and she saw the fury and pain he was feeling in his mind.

"What is going on?" Raven asked.

"This is something I have to do, Raven."

"Stop! Do you even know where you're running to?" Jinx shouted.

"No-al. He's the monster that murdered our parents!" Sakura shouted back.

Jinx walked forward and stood side by side with Raven, blocking Nightwing and his sister's path to the door. She shook her head in the negative. "He's more than that."

"The words he spoke… No-al… they were Azarathian… it was a proclamation of death to be served… and not just to you." Raven said.

"What?"

"Our lives have been tied together much longer than any of us could have ever guessed." Raven replied.

"That monster in your history… his is an actual monster. There was no mistaking that demon aura." Jinx stated.

"No-al is not a demon."

"That wasn't just No-al…" Jinx replied. "He must have gotten desperate for energy and fused with a human to breed his power."

"Who?"

"Doomgaze." Raven said.

"My father." Jinx added firmly.

….

Cyborg came back to find Titans' Tower in a dark mood. Jinx and Raven were staring holes into each other, Sakura was staring out the window, her arms crossed over her chest, her body tight with concentration or rage, and it seemed that if Nightwing let go of the table he was leaning against, he would shatter into a million tense pieces.

"What's going on?"

It was a long and complicated story, but the Titans heard every word of it. Once, there were two complicated creatures: a murderous man named No-al and a true monster, the second of the Great Demon Kings. No-al rampaged and plundered and murdered without remorse. Doomgaze brewed hatred and ward and death wherever his powers could reach. Doomgaze met a near-fatal wound in the Wars of Light and Dark and took to recover in a demon gate known as Ledona – where he bred power and sired two demon seeds: Astarte and Laseri. In that same war, Trigon had met capture and born unto himself Lethe and those three: Laseri, Astarte and Lethe were tied together through their purpose: to be an energy source and a means to continue wars interrupted. Jinx, nor Tetris, nor Raven had ever met their demon fathers: but they knew their energies, because it flowed through them like wildfire. For No-al, like consisted of the hunt and the chase, where he preyed upon the bold and the weak alike and met no match in mortal men. That included the band of nine, lead by Matsuhiro Ueno… with his impressive strength he had fell four of them and crippled another in the borrowed cave of Ledona, though not uninjured himself. On that day, he crept deeper into the cave of Ledona and found a source of evil that he could not resist.

Before this, No-al was just a man, who did terrible things and taught others to do terrible things also. One of those who he taught was Deathstroke the Terminator, the wicked nightmare that would not rest. Doomgaze had sent his number one aid, the demon Washu to seek Slade out, to find that Trigon had found him first.

Nightwing had went to the evidence room and retrieved a talisman and brought it to Jinx and asked her in no uncertain terms if she knew that mark. Indeed she did. It was similar to mark Washu had used until he realized he had no use for her life. Sakura recognized it as the mark of No-al.

The pool of their universe was so polluted with their ties to each other: Jinx to Nightwing to Sakura to Raven, it was hard for any of them to breath. Raven had felt his energy, the energy of Doomgaze and felt it deep in the bit of her stomach where once a sire from his energy had rested… the place that Doomgaze would try to use again if something was done.

She knew what Nightwing and Sakura would do… what she did not know was what Jinx would do.

"We're going to the cave of Ledona. Tell us where it is." Nightwing demanded.

Indeed, Ledona was one of the five gates in the ring of Azarath; he had remembered it from those desperate hours for when they searched for Raven's return.

"You cannot defeat him." Jinx said. "You're wasting your life to try."

"Don't you dare try to stop us! You received your vengeance and we will get ours!" Sakura yelled.

"What you want is a hopeless battle. Doomgaze isn't like Washu, he isn't even like Trigon. Even the combined power of Raven and I cannot stop him."

"We're after No-al."

"You cannot get one without the other. That is all there is to it."

Nightwing's fist slammed through a table and split in half. Cyborg's eyes widened, but Nightwing and Sakura continued to stare down at Jinx. "You're wrong. You also said once that we couldn't beat Washu and we did that."

Jinx rubbed her forehead, fatigue slowly taking over her weighted down figure.

"Jinx?" Raven asked.

The hex artist blinked slowly and swallowed hard. "If you truly wish to die… I'll tell you, but I'll also tell you that there isn't a man of this world who can pose a threat to Doomgaze, especially now that he has some of his strength back. It was this world's fortune that it has taken nearly a quarter century to get this strong, even with the human soul he's bound to. When the cave of Ledona opens again in two months, I can only imagine the terrors he will born onto this world."

"He won't, not if we destroy him first."

"He won't crush anything until he gets what he wants… and that's why I cannot go to this fight." Jinx replied.

"You're still of use to him?" Raven asked. Raven watched Jinx's body become heavy with fatigue and caught her with the hex artist fainted.

…

Jinx woke up with only Raven standing over her. She was in the medic room, sweat peeling down her face, her cat eyes shaking with fever.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Raven asked.

Jinx knew she was referring to one thing. "I didn't know what it was until today." She replied. The wet cloth on her forehead cooled her burning skin.

"How far along?"

"Maybe a month. There are two of them, Raven. Two boys, I think."

"It's too early to know." Raven said, watching Jinx move a slender hand to her belly. "It could be that you'll experience good luck for the first time if it is two boys."

Jinx sighed and closed her eyes. "It isn't that I don't believe that it isn't possible… but it may take my powers and I can't… I can't risk…"

"Don't explain yourself to me Jinx. I understand, if they would have known, they wouldn't have fought you."

"But they'll still fight."

Raven nodded. "And so will I."

"You're still bound, even if not by a Transient. Doomgaze is patient, he was the most calculating of all the demon kings… he didn't have the power to rival Trigon, but he had the mentality. He wouldn't mind waiting another sixteen years for a child."

"He won't lay a hand on yours Jinx and I won't allow him the opportunity to hurt mine again."

"Do you think this is something akin to sisterhood?" Jinx asked, her moon pale skin nearly the same shade as Raven's when her fingertips fell onto Raven's hand.

"You'd know more about being a sister than me." Raven pulled her hand away and stood up. "I'm going to send Cyborg in and then Nightwing, Sakura and I are going to Ledona."

Jinx nodded. Raven left the room, ushered Cyborg into the room, then went to find her husband and Sakura. She stepped into the common room and found them as she left them, crossed armed and angry and itching to satisfy a burn in their memories.

"Let's go." Raven said simply.

They had made it all of three steps to the door when Sakura's communicator rang. It was Bumble Bee.

"What is it?"

"Sakura, you'd better come back to the tower."

"I don't have time for this---"

"It's Arsenal, he's dying."

…

Raven got them there in time to find that Bumble Bee had over exaggerated. Arsenal wasn't dying, the Green Lantern was, but if the agile archer didn't let someone give him medical assistance, the wounds he had suffered might be the death of him. He was bleeding from his chest, back, neck and forehead when Sakura rushed into the medic room. He was standing with his body tense as he leaned on the medic guard for the bed where a wounded John Stewart laid helpless.

Raven set about and healed the most pressing of the Green Lantern's wounds, while Arsenal gritted his teeth. Sakura tried to talk to him, wanted to heal him, but had neither the words nor the powers to do either. She got him to sit down and let Raven work her energy of him when the mystic was finally able to stabilize the Justice Leaguer. He was still in a coma; his internal injuries would take time to heal, he'd have to do that on his own. Arsenal had seen one too many people he cared about locked in a coma by the plotting of Deathstroke the Terminator.

"Roy, talk to me. What happened? Who did this to you?" Sakura asked.

"Slade. He's back and he was delivering a message… to you." Arsenal replied.

Sakura knuckles cracked in a rapid succession, her eyebrows trembled as she set her jaw, squeezing her eyes tightly closed. "I got the message loud and clear." Sakura replied.

"I don't know what this is about, why Slade is still after you and us, but he is going to pay for what he did to John."

…

So it was four of them: Nightwing, Sakura, Raven and Arsenal, who found the cave of Ledona, unearthed in a desert far from the rest of the world. The portal door was deep in the cave, but they never made it that far. Only a few meters into the pit, to a place that Nightwing could remember, fluttered behind his eyelids, a place where he had seen the body of his good friend Fujimi, a wasted wreck to be burned in a funeral fire.

That was where they stopped, that was where they met Slade and No-al.

"Welcome, my dear old friends. It has been far too long." Slade said.

An arrow crashed through the air with Slade as its direct target. He repelled it with a flip of his hand. The bolt snapped in two and fell to the ground. Arsenal sneered.

"I take it you're not pleased with my means of message delivery? It's not like it matters now, in truth, I didn't even expect you to live long enough give the surprise away." Slade leapt down from his perch and landed in the shadow that had taken Nightwing and Sakura's attention immediately.

No-al's body was massive, but Raven had a hard time accepting that the massiveness of Doomgaze's evil could be concentrated to such a size. The pit of her stomach, the part of her that remembered most about her past, quivered and it was not from fear: it was from relatedness… some tiny part of the energy that had been forced into Raven's body by the hand of Doomgaze's machinations still remained in her. It made her sick, she could only imagine what Jinx would have felt when the source of her blood was present.

The mask of No-al glimmered even though there was such darkness pouring from the body behind it. He made the vision of a nightmare, more so than Slade ever could and that particular magnitude was frightening.

"Are you ready to die?" No-al asked.

Sakura bit back the vomit in her throat, hearing that voice again, remembering the horrible laughter that vile tongue had spit out after it took the life her friend Seiko and again when he launched her parents to their deaths; it struck her like a million pins in a million directions.

"It's your turn!" Nightwing shouted.

"Oho? You must be the youngest one, the one I never had a chance at. You look just like Ueno, I wonder if the face you make in death will be the same."

Sakura and Nightwing shot forward. Sakura came in from the right, Nightwing from the left, fists balled to beat the middle of No-al. Raven gasped in shock when the blows landed… not to No-al, but by him. Sakura's eyes opened wide, noise unable to escape her open mouth, but blood did. No-al elbow curled into her cut with no forgiveness, beating in the vulnerable points in her middle. Nightwing grunted hoarsely behind his teeth as his blow too was halted by a crippling elbow on No'al's left side.

The siblings sank off his body for a few seconds before a blast of demonic energy repelled them both, knocking them into opposite cave walls. Nightwing's uniform tore open along the side where his body dragged against a pillar splintered by his body. Sakura's body was lost amongst the rubble the hole her body made in the cave wall.

Arsenal pulled an arrow and targeted the terrible beast Sakura and Nightwing were facing. A fire ball careened toward him, his masked eyes widened before a black shield rose around him. His eyes flickered to Raven, while the mystic kept her eyes forward. Slade shook a single finger. "You'll have your turn to face your destruction, dear boy. Wait your turn."

Nightwing pulled himself up, feeling the deep gash against his hip burn with the exposure to air. "Arsenal, don't interfere. This is our fight."

"But!"

"Yamero!" Sakura pulled herself from her rock prison, pushing stones out of her way as she crawled to her feet. "Do what he said and stay back." She commanded.

Nightwing ran in and attempted a sweep kick as Sakura ran in ready to hammer away with bruising elbows and fists. No-al moved swiftly, jumped quickly and coming down sharply, his massive boots crashing into Nightwing's chest, pinning him to the ground as Sakura's shin was seized and used as a handle. No-al wrenched her from the ground and used her body to club Nightwing twice before slamming her into the ground on left. Both siblings groaned before finding their fury and upkicking to their feet in perfect sync.

When their feet struck the ground, so did No-al's. The thundering boot caused an earthquake, shaking Nightwing and Sakura's legs from beneath them, their feet sailing over their heads. Their exposed ankles were perfect grips for No-al. He grabbed them in painful holds before spinning in a furious half turn and throwing the siblings into a cave wall. In flight the siblings turned their bodies, pivoting to brace themselves rather than slam into the walls. Their crouches defined gravity, their boots and hands finding friction in the stone wall that puckered a bit with their impact and their launch.

Their battle cries echoed through the cave as they ricocheted off the cave walls, back at No-al. They dove in teeth gritted, fist drawn.

No-al caught them both by their necks, halting their motions and absorbing their momentum into his massive arms. Nightwing kicked his feet as he was lifted off the ground. Sakura's fingers pulled at the massive hand wrapped around her neck but couldn't get them to release her, but until he wanted to. He swung and threw her away like a rag doll. Her body sailed through the air until it slammed into the black guard around Raven and Arsenal. She struck the sphere of energy, turning back to look at them for a second, letting them see her bleeding lip before grabbing her hiraikotsu and looking back to her enemy.

No-al tossed Nightwing only a few feet into the air before hammering him from underneath. His fists smashed into Nightwing's middle before he rose a massive leg that hooked under Nightwing's ribcage and pulled, the hold threw Nightwing back to the ground where his body crashed and didn't get up. No-al stared down at Nightwing's crush body before the whorl of the hiraikotsu took his attention. He turned, his masked features incapable of displaying the amusement he felt. With one hand he caught the spinning weapon and threw it back. Sakura ducked under the massive boomerang, hearing the crash of its rebound against Raven's barrier. When she rose from her crouch, she realized that her evade had led her into a trap.

The coiling whip spooled around her body and pulled her forward, wrapping around her, pinning her arms to her side. No-al flexed his wrist and the whip broke, igniting an explosive charge that traveled up the cord until it found its fuel. Sakura's eyes opened wide as her eyes followed the fuse to the donator, she had seen that move once before, and it had killed Fujimi. The coil exploded and Sakura's screen echoed through the cave as the smoke from the explosion took her from sight.

The smoke cleared to find No-al standing over both of his victims. He picked up Nightwing by the material on his chest. He was slack in his grip. He landed exactly as he was thrown, his body fell lifelessly, striking his sister's body, who was completely out of commission.

"Pathetic." Two weapons materialized in his hands: the swallow of Asuka and the spear of Ueno. No-al stared down at his victim and was not sure if he heard the gasp Raven unleashed, but he did see the stunning energy she hurled at him.

He wasn't impressed. The energy dissipated before him, falling into he air as if nothing. He let the careening arrows strike him to show them that they meant nothing to him. "This is the alliance that defeated Washu? You weaklings!" No-al threw down the weapons on either side of unconscious pair. "This is who you aligned yourself with, whelp of Trigon? This is who you believe can defeat me? Fool!"

"Come back when you are ready to fight." No-al kicked Nightwing's boot. Raven gritted her teeth and watched Doomgaze turn his back to the fallen Nightwing and Sakura. His gold plated face turned to Raven and bored at her as if she were the only one who mattered. "Two months from now… The portal of Ledona will open for the first time in 25 years. Trigon will be born again whether with your combined blood or not. I will make sure of it. I hope my pathetic daughter didn't fill your head with ideas that the Great Demon Kings could actually be defeated with a fight. Your struggles amuse us… but that is all. I'll satisfy No-al with the death of these two and satisfy myself with the eternal servitude of the last of Trigon's brood."

No-al and Slade simply disappeared. Raven and Arsenal ran to the bruised siblings and found their wounds were worse than they feared. Raven waved her cloak over the four of them and warped them to the cave entrance. Raven's power seeped through Nightwing and roused the beaten fighter. Sakura's eyes shifted open, Arsenal's body supported hers so she could sit up. The pain throbbed through their bodies, but didn't take away their attention when a shadow fell over them.

He stepped forward with careful steps, silent with the light blocking his profile. He walked forward, his sword still at his side. He moved forward until he could crouch in front of the four of them, he held out a blue globe filled with pure water. "Here, drink."

Sakura squinted and tried to block the sunlight to see his face. She knew the voice. She took the water and drunk it and passed it to her brother, who followed her lead and felt purified of all his aches and pains.

"To accomplish what you desire…" He said simply. "You will require the assistance of the Devine Master."

"Bushido?" Sakura finally asked.

Bushido nodded. "Come with me, I will show you the way."

The End of Part One.


	60. The Mask of Noal pt2

The Mask of No-al

Part Two

Raven could have flown, but she climbed with the rest of them. She had peeled off her cloak in response to the summer, it had struck her suddenly that in this hemisphere it was not winter. The sun was far away, but throwing its fury towards the earth. It affected all of them, but they moved on.

Bushido was a quiet man; he said very few words and all of them were very careful. He was barely older than Arsenal, but seemed to possess a vast amount of knowledge from the tone of his voice and the sharp stare in his eyes.

Nightwing's palm gripped a rock and hoisted himself to the next foothold before turning backwards and helping Raven. He pulled her up with one hand and when he was satisfied that she was safe in her perch he turned his eyes to Bushido, who continued to move forward.

"How did this Devine Master know we were going to fight No-al?" Nightwing asked.

"He is very knowledgeable on certain subjects. One of which, is the one called No-al."

"Is he as knowledgeable about Doomgaze?" Raven asked.

Bushido turned back and offered her a hand, hefting her up to the next plateau where Arsenal and Sakura were waiting. He followed behind her and assisted her husband. Nightwing's boots clicked against the solid stone, the movement created a tiny dust storm that didn't matter to him, but in the farthest reaches of the world created a wind storm that rocked the trees.

"He knows many things, but from what I understand, you know this." Bushido replied.

The wind from under Nightwing's feet traveled around the world and back, taking their hair and throwing it sideways. Raven lifted a hand and blocked the strands that fell loose from her braid from sweeping into her eyes. "The Devine Master was one of the first four who fought in the War of Light and Dark. I understand his business with Doomgaze, was he concerned with No-al prior to their fusion?"

"I believe that is so, but perhaps you should ask him yourself."

Bushido pointed his hand upwards to the summit they had arrived at. Though Nightwing and Sakura both were of Japanese decent, it was their first travel to Japan. The influence of a proud and tradition bound culture wasn't lost on their senses and if not for their strong since of memory, would have been lost on their emotions.

Bushido directed them firmly, feeling no need to allow them all to observe their surroundings: they weren't here to feel inspired, they were here to learn.

The room Bushido lead them to was within the largest of the dens. The floors were spotless and rug covered, the weave was tight and thick and mostly weight balancing as their bare feet treaded against the threads. Raven and Arsenal took to bow behind the anxious siblings and in truth, Raven was experiencing a great deal of anxiousness; hers was a two fold anxiety: first, she was going to meet the Devine Master, one of the four greatest warriors in the history of demon epics. He was a full blooded man, just like her husband and he had stood up to the superior fight of both Doomgaze and Trigon and won… it gave her hope that her beloved could do the same.

The second anxiety was simply that they were in a circumstance where she and her husband would have to stand against Doomgaze at all.

He was exactly as Jinx had warned her he would be: smart. His words, his declaration of Trigon's return, in no uncertain terms had crushed something in Raven's power, something she relied on to be strong. Doomgaze knew something she didn't: something about the Cave of Ledona and Trigon's return…

She hoped that the Devine Master knew more.

Bushido saw that the guests were seated before stepping to a side panel and pulling the screen open. In walked a man and a woman, both of whom Nightwing and Sakura were familiar with. Their height difference was stunning: she was less than five and a half feet, he was nearing seven. Their ages were similar, though he wore his more dignified than she could: she looked old and a bit weak, he looked dignified and masterful: that was the difference between the True and the Devine Master.

"Ka-san, Otou-sama… I have brought them here as you requested."

Nightwing and Sakura couldn't bring themselves to speak, not after their visual revelation and surely not after Bushido's declaration of parentage. Raven and Arsenal did not understand their stupefaction.

"Is it really you?" Nightwing asked, standing to his feet. His sister stepped to his side and the pair stared at the Devine Master. He nodded firmly.

"Why did you never tell us?" Sakura asked.

"What need did you have to know?" asked Feng Law.

…

"It has been a very long time, hasn't it my dear students?" Chu-hui asked.

Sakura turned her head between Bushido and Chu-hui. She pointed a questioning finger at her former mentor. "I can accept that you didn't tell me when Bushido and I were training together… but I there's something I've got to know… exactly how old were you when you had him?"

Chu-hui struck Sakura in the shin with her cane. Sakura turned blue in the face, her cheeks puffing up to keep in her yelp of pain. Bushido laughed gently and patted his former sparring partner on her back. "I am not her biological son. When she married my father, she became my mother. I unintentionally played cupid when I introduced my two teachers."

"But you didn't tell me you were Feng Law's son, either."

"You did not tell me you were his student." Bushido responded.

Nightwing stared up at the Devine Master, though he was no short man. The Devine Master was known to him by another name; he had known him by a different name his whole life. Before Nightwing stood a man he hadn't thought about in years, hadn't ever expected to see again. It was as if the last few years of his life had collided with the first half: the two parts mingling after all his efforts to keep those identities separate and unadulterated.

"You have grown up very strong." Feng Law stated, his eyes moving from Nightwing to Raven. Nightwing nodded, his head tilted in Raven's direction just a bit to let Feng Law know he had seen that careful gaze. "It seems fate is not without a sense of irony…" Feng Law continued, "She is the child of Trigon, isn't she?"

"Her name is Raven Grayson and she's my wife." Nightwing replied.

"Then you grew up stronger than I had hoped. Your father would have been very proud."

Nightwing said nothing. Sakura turned the attention of Chu-hui, Arsenal and Bushido to the Devine Master. The weapon of her mother was tied to her shoulder with her hiraikotsu, just as the spear of his father was attached to Nightwing's back. "Feng Law, all along, since the time you trained Otou-sama, did you know all of this?" Sakura asked.

"I know of Doomgaze as I fought against him and Trigon both beside Jericho, Grave and Metrion." Raven swallowed hard at the last name, Sakura swallowed hard at the first. "No-al, the monster of the Earth planes became my concern after the conclusion of the Wars of Light and Dark."

Raven had thought a time or twelve to look into Sakura's mind over the last two years: something in the way she knew much more than most people should told her that the instances of her knowledge were important for Raven to understand. It had to be much more than simply being her husband's sister; the name Jericho meant something to her and Raven would find out why, in her gut she knew that it was absolutely imperative that she understood what Sakura knew.

"He was not a demon when we fought him." Sakura stated, though the tone in her voice was more a question than a declaration.

"He was not, the relationship between Doomgaze and No-al only became definitive and dangerous eight years ago. Doomgaze was gathering his strength in Ledona and No-al was a vessel seeking to be stronger… with time, No-al offered his soul to Doomgaze, as many in the high order of demon churches do… had I not taken pity on your lives and the lives of your parents…"

Nightwing stepped forward by exactly one step. "Feng Law, you were a merciful teacher to me once… but now I do not need mercy."

"You want to fight a phantasm in your past."

Nightwing and Sakura nodded. Raven and Arsenal kept a straight face, though they too were agreeing with the siblings' sentiment. Though Arsenal was intimately tied into the battle they were heading toward, Raven knew that the energy of the upcoming struggle was the same for herself, Nightwing and Sakura. They had all been running from the same fight and now there was no more time to run.

"As ones who have taught you, and taught you thoroughly with our hands, backs, and minds, I can tell you that you are not ready…" Chu-hui said definitively.

"And never will be." Feng Law added firmly.

Nightwing balked visibly before tightening his features and tightening his fists. Raven stepped to be directly beside Nightwing, her fingertips brushed tense cords of muscles in the back of his hands for the briefest of touches that sent electricity through him, to race through his blood with the urgency he felt in his soul: there were two parts to Nightwing; the part that was for the rest of the world to see, the strong and bold and courageous part and there was the part that belonged to Raven, that vulnerable, but generous fraction that held all the details of his human heart and spirit and potential. There were parts that the rest of the world could unlock and reveal, but there were parts that only she controlled, parts that only she had the authority to lock away and hold so very tightly. "Doomgaze is plotting something, Devine Master. Something that will make both worlds that you've fought through collide… I have been fighting my entire life, even though I am a result of that deadly first world, to prevent that collision. You are the only one here with the knowledge to show us how to continue to fight… even if you will not fight, we will, but you know… that if you do not show us to be stronger, we will fail and this world will end."

"Daughter of Trigon, your faith is beautiful, but faith is simply not enough. Angels, Demons and man alike have trained their lives to defeat Trigon and Doomgaze and come close, but were unsuccessful… you wish to try again with much less power on your side than we had when we knew the depth of Doomgaze's and Trigon's abilities."

"Would you have us do nothing?" Raven asked.

"If it were No-al alone, I would have the will to believe that these two were enough."

Sakura bit her lip. She could tell herself a million ways that she was strong, that she could not be defeated, that she was good and that good prevailed… but what she could not convince herself of was her superiority over No-al. No one could: in her tally of victory and personal defeats, there was only one name that stood in the column of those who stood the victor over her and it was No-al. It inspired no confidence to hear a man who once called her his best student tell her that there was no trace of doubt in his mind that No-al could not be defeated by her fists or her brother's will.

"Feng Law, you understand who we are… what we can do and what we cannot do… we can fight but we cannot believe that you do not think us capable of winning. The weight of the rest of the world has been on our shoulders… for a very long time. If you are the man I remember you as, you will do what you can to displace that weight forever." Nightwing said, his voice refusing to betray his strength.

"You stand before me as a man I do not know, as a man whose name is hidden, whose eyes are hidden and whose face carries no memory to me… how can I put my faith in such a man?" Feng Law said simply.

Nightwing released the clasp on his belt that secured his father's weapon to his hip. He held it forward for Feng Law and Chu-hui and Sakura to see. "I am the son of the man who wielded this weapon proudly to stand against a monster. My father held this spear with strength and asked one thing of me… asked one thing of my sister and asked one thing of you… Itsumo tatsu." Nightwing reached and pulled his mask from his eyes. His eyes were a brown they were familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if he was on the verge of tears. He spun the spear and turned the blade to the back of his head and firmly grabbed his awesome locks. With a single swipe, he severed his long locks at his neck, leaving the strands to fall to the floor like black snow. "You made a promise to Matsuhiro Ueno, Feng Law, just like I did to always stand… and you were always a man of his words… how could you still be the great and honorable Feng Law if you refuse to help Matsuhiro Kenosuke¹always stand?"

With his face bared and his previous years cut away, Kenosuke stood before Feng Law as he had done fourteen years ago, when he was just a nine year old boy: looking up to him to be stronger.

"And this Matsuhiro Sakuja asks. We are all asking… for our futures, for our memories… show us what it will take to defeat our enemy." Sakuja added, spinning her mother's weapon to tap blades with the spear in her brother's grip.

"Your parents couldn't learn these skills in twenty years; you have no chance in two months." Feng Law replied.

"The skills you taught our parents did not work… you must teach us something stronger, teach us what you know, Feng Law." Kenosuke dropped to a kneel before the Devine Master. Sakuja dropped beside him and behind her, Arsenal and Raven bowed. Chu-hui watched the display with interest, seeing the way her best student, the boy who had trained so valiantly to learn to relax in his desire to be a better fighter was stripping all her lessons away, but was not weaker for it, no he was so much stronger… but still not strong enough.

"And teach us," Raven added. "The four of us, we are going to fight… for them, they'll need your strength, Devine Master and I will need your knowledge."

"And True Master, your skills could add to my talent, to leave no aspect of Doomgaze in this world." Roy Harper revealed his eyes to the room, leaving no one with hidden identities or intentions.

Feng Law stared down at faces set proudly and powerfully, in the exact formation he had stood once: one of Holy, two of full blooded human sire and one half-demon girl. "Four is a fated number: a cursed number, a number that breeds both triumph and despair. There were four demon kings and now there are two… and there were once four warriors for light… and now we have a second set. Many have lost their lives in the battle you anxiously await… but even more will die if your anxiety isn't coupled with ability."

…

Chu-hui slid the door to Raven's room shut behind her. She brought her towels and a change of clothes better suited for the summer weather than her cloak and dress: even though the material she adorned was white, it was simply too much clothing weighing down her slender body.

The Temple of the Devine Master was a small island that belonged to the country of Japan, but truly belonged to Feng Law. It was barely four times larger than Titans Isle, but it was large enough to keep them all isolated. Roy was often in the company of Bushido and Chu-hui; and Sakuja and Kenosuke's time was dedicated entirely to the lessons of Feng Law.

Raven hadn't seen her husband in a month. Not a single glance: Feng Law had allowed neither of his students a moment of rest, nor Raven and Roy a moment of peace to know that their loved ones were not over worked, over troubled or within an inch of their lives due to their training. Once Raven had heard the voice of her husband scream in pain. The tremble and duration had chilled her blood and she had wanted desperately to find him, to heal him, to hold him.

But she had made a promise… and she would not go back on it.

Raven rested in the rotenburo, the steam of the water was relaxing her as much as the temperature. Her long tresses were pinned to the top of her head to keep the weight of wet hair from weighing her head down. As it was, long strands escaped and sunk into the water just a bit before it floated along the surface tension. Raven raised a hand and let the warm water run down her slender limb before washing it with a sponge. She turned her body when she heard the sound of Chu-hui entering the bathhouse attached to her room.

Chu-hui was the only person she saw on a regular basis: Roy was captivated with his lessons and for her husband…

She had made a promise… and she would not go back on it.

Chu-hui had apologized when Raven had discovered that there was no time in the disciplining of Kenosuke and Sakuja for Feng Law to give her any of his time. The few monks in his temple, Bushido and the True Master herself did not possess the knowledge to enhance her abilities in the degree the Devine Master could, but in that Raven had taken no offense. She had known somehow that what she had to know would not be revealed to her through history: past watch was the most misleading of her education. What she would need to do, she would feel it in her bones.

Raven rested her folded arms over the stone bath wall. Chu-hui moved, but stopped in front of her when she saw Raven watching her intently. "What is it dear girl?"

"I'm not wrong to be worried am I… the training… is he okay?" Raven asked.

Raven had a hard time sleeping, mostly because her husband wasn't in bed with her and again still because she knew where he was. She could hear the echoes of his pained cries as he pushed himself harder than he had ever done before – making himself the absolute in his talents to make sure that when the training ended, he'd pass his test and take the life of a double-bladed demon.

_No-al and Doomgaze as one man…_ Raven still shuddered to think of it even after knowing the truth for nearly two months. Maybe all along, when she went to the Justice League headquarters to find Batman, maybe all along she was looking for Richard… _no, not Richard… Kenosuke Matsuhiro: that was who he was first…_

_But is that truly who he is? Richard Grayson, Robin and Nightwing were what he had built of himself, who he saw himself as… Richard Grayson was the name he married me as… he didn't identify with that deeper part until he had to… just like me… _

"Though my husband's methods are intense, I can assure you that Kenosuke will not be broken."

"I'm not worried about Kenosuke… I'm worried about Richard…"

…

"You betray the art with such unsophisticated strokes." Another blow crashed into his body and Matsuhiro Kenosuke dropped to the ground, holding his wounded middle. He coughed deeply, feeling his body tremble to his guy. His weapon lay to his side and his sister was on the ground unconscious. Sakuja's body was strong; that she was so thoroughly beaten was a testament to the severity of the situation they were in.

For almost two months, Kenosuke had to forget about the outside world and everything he was outside of the skin on his hands and the pain in his back. He couldn't remember that he could be scared; he couldn't remember that he could be weak; he couldn't remember that there was something stronger than him… but he also couldn't forget her.

Kenosuke pulled himself to his feet and gripped his weapon tightly. His lip was busted wide open, there was blood on his cheek from the wound in his head and somewhere on the floor, mingling with sweat, tears and his sister's body was a piece of his wisdom tooth. His entire being should have been floating around him in that dim little room where his body was punished, that was what Feng Law had said. Every tiny part of him should have been in that room, stayed in that room, trapped to be molded into an entity that could truly fight.

But he couldn't do that… he couldn't control every part of himself with such completeness… and that was simply because he didn't own all of himself.

"What do you fight for Kenosuke? For the future? For your parents? For a memory?" Feng Law asked.

"For her." He replied, steadying his weight on his feet. "I can only fight because she can fight… she doesn't believe that she can fight without me."

"Can she?" Feng Law asked.

"No more than I can fight without her. If you're the man I think you are, you understand what love means… She cannot defeat Doomgaze without me and I cannot defeat No-al without her… we share the same nightmare and the same dream. We've experienced the nightmare now we must fight through dark memories to get to the dream."

Sakuja pulled herself from her stun, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head as she stumbled to her feet. She gripped her weapon, doing her best to ignore the deep gash in her cheek: it burned, but she had wounds before and she had always fought through them… there was a mark on her back that she had to fight through.

"Your ideology is beautiful, but not enough." Feng Law said to Kenosuke. He twisted his stance into the offensive and the Matsuhiro siblings readied their parents' weapons.

"Again!"

…

**Tut.**

_We all run…_

**Tut.**

_We all run because we can…_

**Tut.**

_Or because we have to… because we have no other choice…_

**Tut.**

_That's what we convinced ourselves when we were kids… when we were sixteen or twelve or even as young as nine years old… we all thought we had to run… in truth, we rarely ran._

The arrow clipped through the air and struck the brass target before exploding into a million points of light.

**Tut.**

_We all think far too much…_

Roy pulled his bolt back and aimed and let go, striking the target dead center again, just like last time, just like every time.

_We need to feel… that's when things make sense. When she feels strong, when he feels safe… and when she feels me… _

Raven, Richard, Sakura, himself, that was the order Roy thought in, for a man with an assumed ego the size of planets, he constantly and consistently put himself last in his line of thoughts. In truth, he preferred to never think of himself at all.

**Tut.**

_Raven never thought she could do all the things she hoped for._ A bolt clashed and erupted against metal, just as he allowed. His mind was closed off to the mechanics of his talent, he let his body guide itself as his thoughts were occupied with something much more complicated than the interplay of his muscles. _Richard never thought that he was protected, so he hid behind every mask he could find; good or bad…he wore names like most people wore cloths… when they didn't fit, he dropped them to the floor and burned them… except this last one, the first one, refused to burn away to memory… _

**Tut.**

_She's a part of this memory… my Sakura… my Sakura Chloe Wayne, my Sakuja Matsuhiro. A rose by any other name? This is the part she hid from me, the part that made her shake in the night and unable to speak. No-al was the monster that wounded her body in a way that would not heal. He's the part of her that she's forced to remember when she sees herself or when I see her… she has a scar on her back, just like I have along my shoulders… but she never saw the parallel._

**Tut.**

Roy waited for the moving target and locked on it when the shimmering disk escaped into the night. He raised his bow, hi eagle's sight trained on the small brass disk, able to keep it in view even against the total darkness of the atmosphere around him. The arrow charged red under his instruction before he let go and let the arrow find its target. The shimmering disk exploded with the arrow on impact, it hurled flecks of golden energy into the night sky.

_We all think too much and mostly in the negative… when we feel, we're stronger… when Richard feels Raven's heart, he's safe… when Raven feels Richard's hands, she's brave… when I feel Sakura's passion, I feel unbreakable and when Sakura feels my---_

"Roy."

The agile archer dropped his bow and turned his head, his target free to exist as whole for one more day. Her hair was pulled up, one ponytail held her thick, dark tress, leaving the mass to wave together in the summer wind. Her brown eyes blinked slowly before she turned to the side and looked out over the horizon to where the water was a deep black something that could have been menacing, but instead was as calm as her heartbeat.

Roy Harper watched her stand and look and wait. He didn't think to step forward, but felt it in his bones to move forward and wrap his arms around her. She fit perfectly there, she always had. Her profile was lit in the candle light from the temple against his green eyes she was beautiful. "I've never been afraid to stand by you, Sakuja." He said simply. His hands turned her around so his cheek was pressing her smooth forehead. His fingers ghosted against her back, finding that darkened path of skin beneath her uniform. He felt her shudder and heard her fight back insecurity and sobs.

_One day…_Roy thought_one day you'll be able to feel my love for you and trust me with all the truths that break your heart and then you'll feel what its like to be in one piece…_

…

Candle lights were fading just a bit, it was nearing midnight and it was getting a little cold. Raven could hear footsteps approaching her and because in the two months she had taken to listening to everything around her, when it was a knew set of steps, she knew it could only be one of two people: because her heart knew everything Richard Grayson did, she knew the one approaching her was Sakuja Matsuhiro.

Raven leaned against the railing and let the wind lead Sakuja to her. The slighter taller and leaner woman fighter took a similar pose and leaned against the railing as well. Both long haired women, the younger twenty three and the older barely twenty five, let their incomparable beauty be witnessed by the night.

"You're training is complete then?" Raven finally said.

"As it can be… there are a million different things we're never going to learn."

"Some things you have to feel to understand." Raven replied.

Sakura said nothing. Raven turned her dark eyes to the profile of her sister-in-law and took notice to an imperfection she had never seen before. Sakuja's eyes widened when Raven's fingers ghosted against a scar on her cheek.

"Oh that? It will heal." Sakuja said simply.

Raven frowned and did what she had never done before. She used her energy and healed the scar on Sakuja's face. Sakuja felt what Raven had done and cursed herself for being careless. If she forgot herself in such away in her upcoming battle, it was likely to get two people killed… if she wasn't careful in this dance step, two people would be.

"Why did that work?" Raven asked.

Sakuja shrugged simply and tried to mask ever trace of emotion she was feeling. She knew that Raven had to know something, Raven was perceptive, but Sakuja had to be careful, there was something Raven just couldn't afford to know. She had been hiding Jericho's careful work for more than two years and would rather suffer death than have Raven come to understand all the things she couldn't know. It was more than for the consequence of life, it was for the consequence of her body; if Raven were to find out about the truth of her children, there was no promise that Sakuja would have returned to her the ability to make a child in the future. There was more for Sakuja to lose than any of them and in the pit of her stomach, the part of her that used to be burning warm with her Holy power, was a cold, cold feeling that may never be replaced, but the only time it made her sick was when Raven came close to something, anything that could jeopardize the happy ending Sakura Chloe Wayne had sacrificed for.

"What happened to your Holy?" Raven asked.

Sakuja had the lie the best way she could, she could hear in Raven's throat that she was not leaving without an answer. So she gave her one. "I lost it."

"How?"

"… don't know…"

"Liar."

One word conversations with Raven were difficult, because she could say so much in a single question or accusation and it was hard to defend against such things.

"The truth is it doesn't matter… Sakura Chloe Wayne wielded Holy. Matsuhiro Sakuja knew nothing of that strength."

Raven shook her head. "You didn't have it back then… when you fought…"

"Drop it."

For a few seconds, Raven obeyed the command. "I want to know. Your powers were a part of you… the part that made you proud and brash and endlessly confident. It was what really made you my countering force."

Sakuja could almost feel Raven's internal dialog, debating whether or not to steal from her mind exactly what she wanted to know. Sakuja had to tell her… had to tell her something. "I lost my powers because I… I had to make a difficult decision."

"What decision?"

Sakuja leaned against the rail and turned her head away from Raven. Beneath her, the water was too dark and there was too little light to produce an accurate reflection of her sorrow twisted face. She had grown up far too fast, before she had even known it was had become responsible for many futures and many pasts and was constantly a link between two worlds that she barely fit into. She had missed years, important years in many lives and had to play a part she was only barely competent at. It was difficult, but everything about her was difficult, it was what made Sakuja Matsuhiro Sakura Chloe Wayne: no superhero identity, no super powers… just her mind, her fists and her heart.

"To be a woman or be a coward. Trust me when I tell you I made the right decision."

Sakuja Matsuhiro turned her back to Raven Grayson, the girl who had always been Raven, who had played that part and knew that role. She was the superhero between them with no mask, no second identity to hide behind; she was a link between two worlds that made perfect sense for her to be a part of.

They had to defend each other: Raven had to defend Sakuja from a demon force she couldn't counter…

"Why do I not believe you?"

The wind made whispers both sinister and soft.

Sakuja didn't stop walking away. "Because it was really no decision at all…"

And Sakuja had to defend Raven from a truth that could destroy them both.

…

Raven went to bed early and alone and woke up with Matsuhiro Kenosuke memorizing her face.

"You kept your promise." Kenosuke said simply.

Raven nodded. "I trusted you to come back in one piece. You've never lied to me."

Kenosuke turned his dark brown eyes from her and kept them turned away even as she sat up and touched her hand to his face. "Richard Grayson never lied to you, Raven. You knew everything **he **was… when I was that man, you never had to worry for me… but this man… Kenosuke, he is different… I don't know what kind of man he is or what he'll be after he will be after fighting No-al… This man, Kenosuke, has the capacity to kill."

"You've had many more names that I've had in my life… Kenosuke Matsuhiro, Richard Grayson, Robin, Ward, Leader, Red X, Apprentice, Darkwing, Nightwing… and me: Lethe tu Raven, Raven Roth and Raven Grayson… do you hear how only two truly overlap? Richard and Raven Grayson… Those aren't roles that we play: that's who we are when we're done with all of this."

"What if there's no through with this? Tomorrow---"

Raven put her hand over his lips and quieted the words of Kenosuke. "We always say tomorrow… tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow and never yesterday… and somehow we always forget today."

"How did you become so strong?" He asked when her fingers peeled away from his lips.

"Because you have something stronger than power, stronger than any measure of strength."

"Your heart." Kenosuke whispered, his lips ghosting over hers.

"My hope." Raven corrected.

"And what makes me strong enough to hold something so powerful?" Kenosuke asked, pressing his forehead into hers.

"Because you want to… you want to keep that part of me tight in your hands, just as much as I want you to. We're never stronger for each other than when we're strong for ourselves. You taught me that."

"When?"

"When you told me you loved me."

"I do love you."

"I know."

He kissed her mouth gently. "No matter who I am… I love you." Kenosuke found the tie of Raven's bed robe and pulled it from her body, exposing her skin to the air. He kissed her bare shoulder, kissed her neck, kissed her mouth again. "I love you."

"I love you and I know who you are." Raven whispered when her husband dropped his head into her bare shoulder.

Kenosuke laid Raven down and loved her for the first and last time.

…

He had never worn a uniform that meant so much. His slender frame was fitted with a garb in dark and strong colors. His clothes were normally simply and solid, single layers and thin to move with his acrobatics or particularly flashy martial arts. His dark blue yukata was pinned down by a long grey chest guard that kept his robes tight to absorb excessive blows that would damage his person. Across his right shoulder was a thick black guard to prevent damage to the arm that wielded his weapon. His short hair was tamed by a guard that wrapped around his forehead and fell back over his shoulders. Kenosuke held his father's spear at his left side and kept his balance shifted to the left, he'd have to walk that way to make sure that the battle skill he was taught would be at his command at any needing moment.

Sakuja stood beside him in a uniform very much like the one she had worn as a twelve year old girl. Her body was locked in black leather, stained with a purple berry along the breast plate and shoulder, elbow and knees guards that made metal slip off rather than cut through. Her lower weight was balanced by a heavy cape that wrapped around her hips and fell back to the lowest range of her calves. She pulled her hair up simply in a single ponytail to keep her hair out of her eyes and nothing more, her time for style and childish things was over. Her mother's swallow was strapped to her back, where her hiraikotsu used to rest.

Arsenal sat cross legged while the siblings straightened their bodies to move in their new skin. The blood they shared from their mother, the thing that made them alike, was strong. He could see the way they moved the same; maybe that's where they got their righteousness from… maybe that's were they got their fears from.

Raven took three deep breaths before opening her eyes. Chu-hui, Feng Law and Bushido had done all they could do in their part of this retched thing… it was left to Raven, Arsenal, Kenosuke and Sakuja to do the rest. She felt guilty, as if long ago she had the opportunity to end all of this and hadn't taken that chance, but she knew that wasn't the case. Azars and scribes and apprentices had seen so many things in her life, in the life of Lethe, but none of them had spoken a word of this. None of those visions saw her living this long: none of the Azars saw her live.

Kenosuke tightened his belt and pinned it firmly at his hip. He turned his eyes to his sister, than his wife then to his mentors. To those two, he had nothing left to say. To his sister, to Raven and to Arsenal, he had only one word.

"Ikuzo." (Let's go.)

…

It had taken Raven only one night with clear stars to know where the Cave of Ledona would unearth again. The travel wasn't far. It was a cave that was littered with Bromide with white streaks of sandstone breaking up the coral and brown cave walls. It was obvious that something had been acting in this place, steady acting and polluting the colors into something that could have been beautiful if they didn't understand the source of it.

Raven felt sick to her stomach. She lurched forward and barely kept from vomiting. Kenosuke turned in alarm to her as she sunk to the ground. "Raven, what is it?"

"I don't know… this place… I wasn't ready for such power. It's different then before, the energy that's feeding here is darker…"

"Darker?"

"More powerful. This has become a demon realm. Stay close to me, you aren't safe here... none of you are any more of the holy than of the profane… your life energy attracts it…" She directed to her team. "I should be able to keep most of the energy away with my demonic presence."

Arsenal frowned. Kenosuke gently caught Raven's chin.

"What?" She asked.

"You don't feel it?" Sakuja asked.

In their collective gaze on Raven's face was the mark of Scath. Her breathing became short as a sweat came to her face. That sick feeling in her stomach rolled again, she couldn't stop her retching.

"What is happening?" Kenosuke asked.

"He's opened it somehow… we're too late… my energy reacts to Trigon… somehow, he must be here! Ahhh!"

Kenosuke's eyes widened in shock as Raven dropped her face between her hands. But he had seen it, for eyes were shuddering between her fingers. He was knocked back when Raven's energy flexed powerfully, her body sinking into her soul self. The giant black bird flapped its mighty wings before screeching and racing deeper into the cave.

"RAVEN!"

"Follow her!"

The three remaining fighters took into a run and traveled deeper and deeper into the cave of Ledona where all their identities would meet their demise.

End of Part Two

A/N

¹Back in 'Raven Haired Sakura' I asked if anyone caught Robin's birth name. His birth name is Kenosuke Matsuhiro.


	61. The Mask of Noal pt3

The Mask of No-al

Part Three

It was torturous for him to watch and know that for right now he couldn't touch. She tempted him: her power, her parentage, her face; in his gut burned the desire to possess her.

In her eyes was the desire to destroy him.

And that made her all the more appealing.

A two month pause had changed his idea of her.

Doomgaze stared up at his new prize. Lethe was trapped in his energy, locked in a dark sphere that she couldn't get through. He had been pleased to find that a small trace of Laseri's power had remained in Lethe's body: that small trace was a part of the energy Doomgaze had expended to create his progeny and so it was a part of him… a part that he could control it seemed.

But there was someone else who had more control over her than he did… two some ones in truth and both sides of him: the side that was man and the side that was immortal, had committed their souls to defeating everything that had more control over Lethe than he did.

Her heralding screams were music to his ears. Every time her fists pounded against his trap, a chill of excitement flexed within his psyche. When her four eyes narrowed with fury, he felt his cruelty become inspired.

Because he knew something better was coming.

…

Throwing a swallow was no different than throwing a boomerang, but catching one was. It made her wrist bend in an unfamiliar way and it hurt, but she pressed through it. They all pressed through it.

Raven had been right. The Cave of Ledona had become a phantom realm and without her close, each of them were standing exposed to become victim to a demonic madness. The ghouls poured out from the walls, the ground, and the air, taking shape to assault and be cut down. Arsenal's arrows cut through the atmosphere, his shimmering bolts made friction in the wind and exploded; destroying demon body after demon body.

Kenosuke's body turned and lashed out with his spear in the same way he had done for years with his bo-staff. In principle his weaponry and the weaponry of his father was no different except that a spear was designed to kill and a staff was designed to be versatile. The feel of it was different now than it had been when he had first began to train with it… before he thought he had understood desperation…

_Raven_.

The air split by Arsenal's arrow moved the wind harshly to slap him in the face. Kenosuke shifted his body, letting the weapon of his father cut through phantasm after phantasm. His sister moved, shifting her weight, shifting her guard, advancing and defending to move their path forward.

"Sakuja, do you know the way?" Kenosuke asked. "We've lost Raven's energy trail! We need to find her!"

"I can only think of one place… and we have deeper still to travel."

A lightning fast arrow cleared the path, mixing and disorienting spirit bodies. Arsenal turned to his companions. "Then let's go."

…

Slade was a masterfully patient person; it was a lesson beaten into him meticulously and ritualistically by his most prominent master. He had learned many lessons, many valuable skills and even dangerous hobbies. What he didn't learn was ruthlessness; that tact was a skill he was simply born with. Exercising his sense of ruthlessness was paying his thanks to the gods or whatever cursed deity that had struck him with his most valuable talent: genius and patience were nothing without a strong motivation and nothing was more motivating than the practice of cruelty.

He could be a disaster-maestro with his words or his body; he had learned to plot by trial and error and his years and years of practice had culminated to one thing: the end of the world.

Most people couldn't fathom to guess when their end would come; Slade had made it his personal business to decide for them. He did it because he had to and because he didn't consider himself one of the weak whose lives were left in the hands of the strong. He was one of the strong; on the order of power with demon gods, Titans, and all those other power creatures from Hell. He fit in rather well.

He didn't particularly want to fit in, but that was what it would take to get what he wanted. He would endure the mediocrity of the scheme he was a part of long enough to get what he needed from it and nothing else. He didn't care if the world was taken over by giant monsters, he would stop them if it served his purposes, but he would do absolutely nothing to prevent the completion of his desires.

_If that means the end of the world, so be it. There is only one planet Earth, but there are many more planets and one of them could be worth my genius. _

Slade's hand shot out and caught the arrow that had been trained on his person. He cocked his head in amusement even as the bolt exploded in his hand and broke two fingers. He cracked the abused digits, his body and single eye betraying absolutely no emotion. The masked eyes of Arsenal were doing the exact opposite.

No-al turned his head at the sound of footfalls, but didn't leave his lotus position until he actually saw bodies. Three sets of feet came to a screeching halt on the other end of the cave, angry voices were laying down a challenge just through their breathing. The youngest one, the one with Ueno's face and some manner of control over Raven, let his pretty eyes dart back and forth looking for his prize… the prize that Doomgaze had deemed him not fit enough to possess. No-al pounded his knee, as if ending an internal dialog in the affirmative. He stood up, his green and orange robes rustling against his massive form. Behind his bronze mask, feral eyes were leaping in anticipation.

His roar of laughter made his energy shudder. The treble of power echoed fiercely in his energy bubble, causing Raven to drop to her knees in the shell. She grunted and clasped her hands over her ears. Kenosuke's eyes found her then, floating feet above his head in stark contrast to the ember scatter coated cave wall of Ledona.

"Raven!"

"If I were you, I would be concerned for myself rather than your darling wife. I can almost guarantee that she is going to live slightly longer than you." Slade said cruelly. A fireball stormed through the air, locked with Kenosuke as its target. The dark tressed fighter spun his weapon, catching the fireball in its rotation and dispersing it into the air. His eyes remained hard as the ill-begotten power fanned out, leaving sparks to flicker in the space between his weapon and his enemy.

"Impressive," Slade mused, rubbing his jaw. "But then again, your weakness was never your technique."

A rain of arrows cut through the stale air, following one after another in a set trail. Each sung through the wind, trained to silence Slade's treacherous tongue forever. The Terminator turned his body, evading one after another. Slade turned his sharp eye to the agile archer. "It appears your arsenal just isn't good enough."

Arsenal smirked pulling back one more bolt. "Wanna bet?" He unleashed the arrow, the metal twisted fiercely as it made its way to Slade. Slade turned his shoulder just in time to avoid it and to see the homing arrow return to crash with the bolt he just dodged. The explosion ripped the color from the atmosphere, everything around the deepest cavern of Ledona was swept up in a white backlash and a mist of unsettled smoke flooded their vision.

No-al allowed his curiosity to get the best of him and turned his sharp eyes to look. What he saw wasn't the recovering form of his student, what he saw was the approach of one Kenosuke Matsuhiro. His body descended from the air, parting the smoke with his momentum. His battle roar rang over the air pollution as he wove both hands around his weapon and drove the blade downward like a spike. No-al evaded just enough to not be skewered, watching intently as Kenosuke's weapon was rammed into ground. He avoided the weapon strike, but stayed in range of Kenosuke's spin kick; the young fighter using the embedded weapon as a pivot and lashed his legs out, catching No-al in mask. The stung fighter stumbled backwards, directly into dashing elbow attack from Sakuja. No-al staggered under the blow, her sharp elbow bruised his chest at a pressure point. No-al reeled, gasping with his wide eyes watching Kenosuke launch his sister into the air before dashing forward. No-al threw a punch and Kenosuke evaded, dropping under his guard. His hips twisted swiftly, his back somersault connected with No-al's chin, launching the fighter in the air… where Sakuja was waiting.

No-al was defenseless as Sakuja countered his momentum with her own force and drove both their bodies back to the ground. Her grip on his masked face allowed her to drag No-al before her, his body pulling a deep furrow into the ground. When their forward momentum cooled, Sakuja front flipped over No-al's head and landed with her back to No-al, but her front to her brother. She latched her fingers together a provided a pad, Kenosuke took a running start and used the launch. Sakuja turned her body and watched her brother sail, his spear aimed to pin No-al's prostrated body. No-al rolled his head over his ankles and dodged the attack, rolling to face Kenosuke as he wrenched the wide blade from the earth. A straight punch came at the black haired fighter. He raised his weapon just in time to take most of No-al's counter strike, but the force was enough to hurl him several feet backwards. His body collided with Sakuja's, who caught him and dragged her feet into the soil beneath her to slow their backwards motion. Her back struck the cave wall barely: it would strike fiercely when No-al slammed his elbow into Kenosuke's breadbasket and pinned them both to the wall.

The black haired fighters were trapped, Kenosuke's body taking the punishment until a grappling arrow swung out and wrapped around the massiveness of No-al's body. Arsenal wrapped his end of the cord around his wrist and pulled, jerking No-al just inches away, just enough distance to give the siblings space. Just as No-al broke free of he binds, a shoulder ram from Slade knocked Arsenal off balance. The agile archer turned a roundhouse, setting his bow's aim on the incoming menace.

As Arsenal lit the air with arrow after arrow, the siblings Matsuhiro launched a second wave assault. Sakuja's rising knee was blocked. Kenosuke's uppercut was misaligned when No-al ducked and retaliated with a side elbow. Sakuja's body sailed into a jagged rock formation when No-al's pivot kick beat her block.

Raven tried chanting to find a calm to exercise her powers, but something was pulling at her from multiple sides, making it impossible to concentrate, impossible to help. She couldn't unstain her vision, all four of her demonic eyes were open and watching the beating Doomgaze was giving to her husband and her sister-in-law. She could see how Doomgaze was amping his attacks with his demon siege, every blow to the body of Sakuja was enforced with a secret spell, every counterattack for Kenosuke's assault came faster than man could give, because they came from a monster.

No-al grabbed Kenosuke by the jaw and slammed the back of his captive's head into the ground. The ground cracked and split beneath his skull, sliding outwards and breaking into smaller fragments in the air.

"Kenosuke!" Sakuja screamed. She ran in swinging with her swallow, a horizontal cut to rend No-al in half. No-al spun swiftly, evading Sakuja's strike. Her forward pace moved her forward, her eyes opened wide as she could see from her peripheral vision, No-al turning back to face her. She was helpless as his elbow crashed down in the small of her back, in exactly the same place that crippled her when she was a twelve year old girl. Sakuja smashed into the ground, her forehead slamming into the jagged earth. Her lip was cut open and her vision was blurred. It took her entire strength of will to wiggle her big toe and prove to herself that No-al hadn't crippled her body again.

No-al stomped down with his massive foot, beating Sakuja's bruised body, wrenching grunts of pain from her, until he was tackled headlong by a net arrow. He turned his massive form to the side, shredding the net with a flex of his shoulder. His masked face could show no anger towards the archer who kept him in his sights. Sakuja gripped her weapon and swung from the ground, her mother's blade slicing through the tough muscle of No-al's calves. The masked fighter roared and roared again when a spear was lodged in his back. Kenosuke planted both feet into No-al's back and catapulted backwards, withdrawing his father's blade.

No-al took to the air, avoiding Sakuja's diving sweep kick. Raven's four eyes watched Doomgaze float in the air not feet away from her. She turned her eyes to the ground and saw the siblings leap into the air to chase. Doomgaze was too high for either of them to catch; when Sakuja lost her momentum, she turned to her brother and offered her hand. With his larger hand secured in hers, she used the last of her agility to throw her brother above her head. Kenosuke soared forward as Sakuja returned to the ground, her feet landed solidly as Kenosuke turned his weapon in his palm to strike. Raven couldn't avert her eyes as a roar erupted from Doomgaze and an awesome energy shred through the air. Just inches away from his target, Kenosuke was bombarded with Doomgaze's power, just as Sakuja felt the ground beneath her split open with that demon energy erupted from beneath her. Raven's hands pounded against the barrier as she watched Kenosuke, Arsenal and Sakuja crash into the ground.

Behind the Mask of No-al, Doomgaze stared down at his victims. The black haired fighters were struggling to get off their backs; the red head was being stalked by Deathstroke. It was fitting; they were all being stalked by death in one form or another.

Doomgaze turned a cruel look to his imprisoned Lethe. The energy of Doomgaze spiraled through the cave walls and pulled the bodies of Matsuhiro Kenosuke and Matsuhiro Sakuja from the floor. The energy wrapped around them, pulling their arms to their sides, their feet coiled in the thick film of Doomgaze's energy.

"I will break their bodies… break their lives, my sweet Lethe and with those deadly eyes you will watch as I kill the young one first… and I'll watch your power grow."

A spear of black energy coiled from the ground and aligned itself with Kenosuke's chest.

"NOO!" Raven gasped and felt her four eyes sink away as the coil dashed forward to end her husband's life. Her purple eyes became dark, but closed tightly as she screamed, her energy of Trigon flowing out of her. The sphere of energy around her was destroyed, her own energy flooded the air, her soul bird spread its wings behind the flair of her marks of Scath. The energy after Kenosuke's life faded away and the pedestals that trapped their bodies were erased by Raven's wing.

When she was satisfied they were safe, Raven turned to the Demon King Doomgaze and stared through him. His body was locked to the size of a man, but the massiveness of his evil could not be held in a single form; the very air she breathed was polluted with his power. Raven's energy claw cut through the air, its jagged talons opened to catch Doomgaze in its grip. When her energy should have collided, Doomgaze fazed right through it. Raven gritted her teeth, her eyes became clouded in white.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Her black energy pulled slabs of the stone wall of Ledona free, smoking embers became no longer randomly scattered. Kenosuke's eyes widened from the ground as the pull of Raven's magic revealed what was hidden behind that smoking surface.

"RAVEN!" His voice was hoarse, but it was loud enough for her to hear, to make her stop. Raven turned her eyes behind her and saw what all the others had already seen.

The four eyes of Trigon.

Doomgaze's laughter echoed through the Cave of Ledona as Trigon's eyes narrowed and widened, showing signs of life for the first time in a very long time. "Good work, my sweet Lethe, your magic has awakened him!"

Raven gasped in horror and pulled herself further away from Doomgaze and Trigon. She shook her head in the negative furiously.

Two grappling arrows swung around the Matsuhiro siblings, pulling them out of the way of slabs of the caving ceiling. Slade jumped back and forth between smoldering boulders, becoming the first of them to see how the energy of the Great Demon Kings was pulling the cave apart, revealing cripplingly hot pools of lava. A knock-out arrow connected with his body and knocked him off balance. Arsenal kept his bow trained on the Terminator even as the siblings behind him were watching the air in horror.

Trigon's roar shattered the atmosphere. Raven's blood ran like fire, most of the energy in her body prepared to submit to its creator, her creator, the demon king that spawned her.

"Finally, I am free to rule! The trap of Azar no longer binds me!"

"Rule? You inferior creature!" Doomgaze shouted. "I wake you only to destroy you!"

Raven's eyes widened as a huge energy storm raged between Doomgaze's hands. The ground trembled and the cave unraveled in large waves as that energy ball became larger and larger. Raven turned her worried features to her team and generated a barrier to protect them as No-al unleashed his massive destructive force.

Two things would become very clear to them as the cave around them was shattered and torn apart. First was the most subtle of things to notice and in truth only Arsenal had his eyes trained to see it: while Raven had thought to protect Kenosuke, Sakuja and himself from the tremendous breath of Doomgaze's power, no one had thought to do the same to Slade. Before his masked eyes, Slade: Deathstroke the Terminator was erased from the world in a fury of demon power that he had bowed to. Whatever motivations and circumstances that had lead Slade to be the highest order in the church of demons would be lost to their knowledge. Arsenal might have sighed in relief, knowing that monster had been eradicated, except there was still something for them to be very much worried about.

While the might of Doomgaze had been enough to destroy Slade, it had no affect on Trigon.

"What a fool you are Doomgaze. Even in my weakened state you are no match for me."

An energy coil shot out in the shape of a demon claw. It wove through the air, past the furious shoulder of Doomgaze to grab Raven and pin her in place. Raven struggled to free herself, feeling Trigon's power on her chilled her to the bone. "Dear daughter, you have done your best to ensure that I would never be born to this world… but your efforts were in vain. If I can not have my own power at my call, you will create energy for me to consume!"

"RAVEN!"

Raven kicked her feet and refused to stop struggling until Trigon said the words that would change her fight. "What good fortune, dear daughter, you've already prepared a seed!" Raven's eyes widened as she realized Trigon's words. The sickness, the surges in her power weren't the result of demon energy… it was the energy of a life inside her. A tear slipped from Raven's eyes, her purple irises shaking visibly until the words of Trigon took away all sentiment of surprise and replaced them with fury.

"You disappoint me dear daughter. Your seed is a worthless boy. It is of no use to me." Trigon's power constricted around Raven's chest and hips tightly. "Shall I destroy is now, dear Lethe, while it is within your body?"

In that moment, the sword of Raven's mind began to shimmer. A gold spiral of energy spread through the corridors of Nevermore and seeped into every inch of her psyche. It took over her mind, it took over her body and it gave her strength. Her entire body became a bundle of destructive pure energy. Her eyes became feral as they were washed over in white luminescence. Her soul wings erupted from her back, breaking the hold Trigon's energy possessed over her. The entire cave shuddered with the residual echo of Raven's powers, white flashes shook the atmosphere as a storm was erupting within Raven's control.

"I will never you hurt my child again!" Raven screamed. The powerful sorceress raised her hands above her head, generating a massive sphere of destructive might. "You will never hurt anyone again! AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

Trigon's power waved out to stop the strike and Doomgaze's power spiraled forward to capture some of Lethe's destructive might. The triangle of destructive forces smashed in the air, tormenting over each other and crushing those that were weaker.

The barrier around Kenosuke, Arsenal and Sakuja fell. Kenosuke turned his terror stricken face to the sky above him to where Raven was lost in a sweep of her own energy. The roar of Trigon and Doomgaze heralded over clash of power.

"RAVEN!"

It became a sonic boom. The thunderous clap of energy spread out like the rings of Saturn, spreading through every particle of space and every molecule of life. It swept over Kenosuke, Sakuja and Arsenal, running through their bodies but doing no damage. Arsenal stared down at his uninjured hands, then looked back to Sakuja and Kenosuke for some sort of answer. Sakuja felt all the injuries in her body vanish, it became easier to breath, something she was feeling was so familiar; but it had been so long and had become something she couldn't put a name to.

Kenosuke stared forward, above his head, his eyes trained to find one thing. The blinding light vanished, all the energy recoiled or dissipated, returning to the body that it belonged to: whether the body of the universe or the body of Raven Grayson.

When Kenosuke gasped, it turned the eyes of Sakuja and Arsenal to the sky. Her body was undamaged, the crystalline barrier stayed around her, keeping her breathing the same air the entire time. Behind her back, where Trigon once existed, was nothing. The full power of the greatest of the Great Demon Kings had been destroyed.

Before her, Raven's purple and tired eyes could see the remnants of Doomgaze being shed from the body of No-al. She could destroy monsters, but not men. She watched as No-al lost all of Doomgaze's demonic influences and plummeted to the ground. His body ricocheted sharply before he turned himself over and got to his feet. Sakuja and Kenosuke turned their eyes to him: the fight of Raven vs. the Great Demon Kings may have been over, but their fight against the great demon in their memories still had blows left to be dealt.

"HAAAAAA!" The Matsuhiro siblings dashed forward with their weapons drawn with the mask of No-al in their sights. No-al's eyes widened behind his mask; as his foot lashed out to kick them away, both siblings pivoted and evaded to the side. A grappling arrow wound around Sakuja's swallow just before she hurled it with all the skill she had developed as a child. The winding weapon spun around No-al's body, the coil locked the grip. No-al struggled against the clasp, but the swallow of Matsuhiro Asuka held as her daughter stood feet away with Arsenal and held the chain firmly. As No-al struggled to find a weak point, Kenosuke's body took to motion. He somersaulted and landed on the chain that connected his sister's grip to the monster they would defeat together. He ran along the wire grip as most could only dream to run on the ground. His balance was perfect and his sister held the cord strong enough to support his run. He drew his weapon back; the spear of Matsuhiro Ueno became shrouded in black energy as Kenosuke leapt into the air, a battle roar tearing through the air.

The last thing No-al would ever see would be the eyes of Matsuhiro Kenosuke. His eyes were a brown he were familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if he was on the verge of tears.

When the deathblow was dealt, the grappling cord collapsed, causing Sakuja to stumble backwards and land on top of Arsenal. Sakuja groaned, rubbing the back of her head as she sat up. "Itai." (Ouch.) She muttered.

"Hey Sakura." Arsenal said, pulling his mask from his eyes. He remained laying down, his bow knocked away from their collision.

"Un?"

"Want to get married?"

"You're about as romantic as a census." Sakura replied. She leaned back and laid against him again. "Sure, but you got to ask my dad first."

Raven returned the ground beside her husband and found him still standing as he had when he delivered the last stroke against the life of No-al. His sharp brown eyes were wavering, his face tight with anxious uncertainty. His father's weapon dropped from his fingers. The metal clattered against the ground, providing background music as he pulled off his head guard.

"Richard." Raven said gently, her fingers reaching out timidly to touch him.

Richard Grayson nodded. "We did it, didn't we?" It sounded as if he were crying, but his body betrayed nothing. He turned around and looked at her, seeing how disheveled she was, how absolutely beautiful she was. He stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "I'm still me… I've done what needed to be done. I've avenged my parents. Saved the world, destroyed my demons and made my peace… all that's left… is to grow old with you."

Raven cried and laughed at the same time.

"Was what he said true Raven? Are you—?"

"I didn't know. I thought the energy I was feeling was Trigon's… but it wasn't. It's our son's. Last night we must have… Richard!" Raven grabbed him fiercely and absolutely refused to let him go.

…

The marriage of Sakura Wayne to Roy Harper was a spectacle. Richard had expected as much, but actually seeing Bruce Wayne give into the extravagance his money could afford struck him right between the eyes.

It made every single Gotham paper. It made news in places that Richard had never heard of. Richard stood across from his wife, who was the maid of honor, from his side of the altar next to Roy, as the best man. They all watched as Sakura Chloe Wayne and Bruce Wayne made their approach forward. Roy could see that if it wasn't for Bruce's grip on her arm, Sakura might have just run down the isle to him. As it was they moved quickly, Richard could see the exact same Wayne smile on Bruce as on his sister's veil covered face. Those same brown eyes were twinkling with merriment.

There were no objections, no halts, stutters or nervous feet. Roy said his "I Do" and Sakura echoed the sentiment and became Mrs. Sakura Harper. The bouquet was thrown and an obnoxious sized piece of cake was shoved into the blushing bride's nose, forcing her to take a trip to the powder room. While she was gone, Bruce cornered both Roy and Richard under the cradle of his powerful arms.

"You've done good boys. Real good." He said simply.

"Thanks, Bruce. That means a lot to me." Richard replied.

"Me too."

"Don't let my praise go to your heads. Your work isn't over yet."

"Give us time, Bruce. You'll get those grandkids in no time." Roy laughed. Richard laughed as well.

"How much longer until Raven's due?" Bruce asked.

"Three weeks."

"You boys are going to need a means to support yourselves and my grandchildren." Bruce said, rolling his eyes between Roy and Richard. "I'll foot the bill for this wedding, but you're on your own for college tuition."

"I'm positive my son's godfather will come through." Richard said.

"Actually, I planned on making it so his father would come through. I've decided to retire and leave 51 of Wayne Enterprises to the two boys who've been like sons to me."

"What?" Us? Run Wayne Enterprises?"

"Don't be so excited. I'll teach you everything you need to know." Bruce replied.

Roy rubbed his toe into the carpet. "Does this mean I can't fight crime anymore?"

Bruce and Richard smirked. Bruce clapped Roy's back gently. "I didn't say that."

…

It took four hours twenty three minutes and eleven seconds.

It took one thousand five hundred and eighty contractions.

It took twenty one ice chips.

It took two epidurals.

It took eight curses of Richard's name.

It took one cry from her beautiful, healthy son for it to be all worth it.

Raven hushed the hungry cry of her newborn son, holding him to her chest for his nursing. Richard stood by her side in absolute awe at the beautiful thing they had created.

Someone said that the greatest proof of love was the birth of a beautiful son. If that were the truth, Raven and Richard had a love of incomparable magnitude. There had never been a more beautiful baby born in the hospital of Gotham City. All the nurses stopped what they were doing to look at the precious little thing. In the viewing wing, Sakura pointed to the small child saying "That's my nephew! That's him!" Roy held her shoulders quietly, before pressing a kiss into her cheek. She didn't stop jumping up and down; Roy could only imagine how she'd be with a child of their own.

"Raven, he's perfect." Richard whispered as he held his sleeping baby boy. He kissed his slumbering son's brow, rocking him gently in the cradle of his arm. "Welcome to the world, little guy." Richard turned to his wife, a huge and almost silly grin on his face. "He has your eyes." He said.

"And your hair, poor thing." Raven replied.

"He's a little… us. He's you and me. He's ours."

"We can't keep calling him 'he'. We need to pick a name."

Richard nodded and handed his son to Raven. She touched his cheek with her index finger softly, in his sleep her baby boy puckered his lips. She smiled.

"He's a mix of us, his name should be too. Every part of us… so we never have to hide anything from him… he's part Japanese, part demon, he's a complicated little guy born from heroes."

"So something sleek, complicated and super herory?"

"Is herory a word?" Raven asked.

"Don't see why not. If there's heroes…"

"What?" Raven asked.

"That's his name. Hiiro."

Raven smiled and laughed a little bit.

"Yeah, Hiiro. It's got Japanese sleekness, we'll spell it H-I-I-R-O to make it complicated and it will always remind him where he's from." Richard replied.

"I like it." Raven turned her eyes to her slumbering son. "Sleep well Hiiro Grayson. When you wake up, your mommy and daddy are going to share with you all the wonders of the world."

"Our love."

Hiiro Grayson smiled in his sleep.

The End of Chapter Seventeen.

A/N:

There's one chapter left. Please look forward to it.


	62. Ever After

Ever After

He'd remember the years as if they were seconds that followed one after another with just enough pause in their motion for him to appreciate them… and to mourn them.

Roy had his green eyes turned to the ground, his arms wrapped around his shoulders to suppress the cold tremor that was running up his body. To his right, Sakura was lying in her hospital bed, doing her best not to cry.

_I thought he was wrong… I thought I was stronger than Holy… but I'm not…_

Over the course of their marriage, Sakura had been pregnant exactly three times and failed three times to carry them to term. Their doctors had no explanation for it; Sakura had no words that she could tell. When their fourth attempt failed, Sakura's doctors told her and Roy to stop trying. Roy had ushered the doctors out, but could barely find the strength in his voice to do it. He knew that Sakura wanted a family just as much as he did: they had seen how absolutely stunning and beautiful was the life that Raven and Richard lead with little Hiiro on their hip. Watching Hiiro grow up inspired Roy to make something just as beautiful with Sakura. It broke his heart to see that that tiny bit of hesitance he had seen in Sakura's eyes those years ago was now being justified.

For Sakura's health, the doctors told them to stop attempting to conceive. For their hearts, Roy knew that that was the right decision. He ran his hand through his moderately tamed shock of red hair before turning to stand beside Sakura. She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to talk. His slender fingers moved along her cheek to trace the tear that ran there.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura." He said finally.

She said nothing.

"I know you're hurt, so am I, but this isn't your fault. It could have just as easily been me."

_Fault? Is that what this is? My fault?_

"But," Roy continued, "This isn't something we should beat ourselves up over. Maybe we can't have a baby the traditional way, but we're hardly traditional people. We'll find a way to make a family. We always find a way."

His hands found hers and wove his fingers between hers. "Sakura Harper, listen to me. There are thousands of children in orphanages right now that would love to call us mommy and daddy. We can adopt a baby and raise him as our own and he'll be equally ours, your son, my son."

"Daughter." Sakura said.

Roy felt her squeeze his hand gently. He smiled. "A daughter then. We'll have a little girl and she'll grow up and be beautiful like her mother."

"Roy, I love you so much."

"I know."

…

At five years old, he was a champion. It was the way he moved, the way he spoke, and that pretty boy face; all of which he got from his father, so he really had no choice in the matter. He dressed himself, bathed himself, took after his things and kept his mother close to hysterics with his daredevil moves. After all, he was his father's son.

It was near eight in the morning and Raven was making breakfast. She had gotten infinitely better at making breakfast, though the masterfulness of culinary abilities required for making pancakes still eluded her. She could make a mean omelet, which her boy loved. Her back was to the set table, busy keeping her eyes on the eggs and the bacon at the same time.

Raven Grayson made quite the attractive housewife. She was the head of the neighborhood watch, on the director's board of the PTA for the Gotham City school district and consistently outshined the other Ladies of Gotham at their social galas and charity events.

Her long hair was braided down her back, keeping most of the purple strands from falling into her face, or worse, her cooking. She heard the front door open and only thought to turn her head when the footprints approached the kitchen.

"Ohayo!" Sakura called as she entered, holding a diaper bag across her shoulder and an infant car seat in her arm. Sakura gently placed the car seat on the table before dropping her bag to the floor. She retracted the shade on the infant and untucked her blanket, revealing a slumbering infant girl.

"Good morning Sakura. Is she still sleeping?"

"Oh, yeah. She can't stay awake during a car ride. Roy's waiting outside, is Richard ready?"

"He's not going. He's still sick." Raven replied, flipping her eggs carefully.

For the last three years, Roy Harper and Richard Grayson had taken over complete control of Wayne Enterprise's domestic affairs. Because they were family men, Bruce stayed on at his corporation to maintain overseas affairs. Normally, Bruce handled all proceedings without Roy or Richard, but last week he decided that eventually they'd have to get a feel for the pace their business was expanding at. He took them both with him across the world for business and in a stroke of remarkable timing, Richard contracted a flu like sickness that stayed with him even when he returned to Gotham. He hadn't so much left his bed in two days, though by the end of the first day he had little more than a fever.

"My brother's such a baby when he's sick."

"Hiiro's exactly the same way." Raven replied.

"When Richard was younger, Mother would have to carry him a certain way to get him to fall asleep or feel better."

"Then that's where Hiiro gets it from. If I don't carry him over my left shoulder with his head in my neck, he won't feel any relief."

"Where is Hii-chan?" Sakura asked.

Five year old boys had the world's best timing. As if he heard his pet name, one Hiiro Grayson came dashing into the kitchen. His purple eyes were open wide with a mix of childish wonder and childish mischievousness. His short black hair flapped in the air as he ran and before Raven could shout for him to not run, Hiiro vaulted into a somersault. His hands pressed into the outturned chair and used it as a launch to catapult into a series of flips. He untucked and landed perfectly on his chair on the other side of the table, his hands up in the air as he stuck the landing. Raven sweatdropped when Hiiro sat down and chomped on a piece of bacon.

"Hiiro! How many times have I told you, no front flips at the table?" Raven asked.

"But Mommy-chan! I didn't do any front flips! I somersaulted!" Hiiro replied.

Raven dropped her head in exasperation. Sakura laughed. "He has a point." She added.

"Regardless! No more acrobatics on, to or over the table, Hiiro! You give me a heart attack every time. What if you were to miss?"

"I don't miss Mommy! I'm a Grayson!"

Sakura laughed and patted Raven's shoulder. "That's my brother's son."

Hiiro stood up in his chair and raised his arms to hug Sakura. "Sakura-kun!"

Sakura hugged her nephew tightly. "How's my favorite nephew?"

"There's no summer camp because it's a holyday."

"Holiday, Hiiro."

"Uh huh. I thought my Daddy was gonna stay and play with me but he's still sick!" Hiiro noticed the baby carriage on the table. "Sakura-kun! Can I play with Lian-chan?"

"She's still too small for you. When she's strong enough to sit on her own, then you can play with her Hiiro."

Raven slid Hiiro's eggs onto his plate and the dark haired boy lost himself in his breakfast. Sakura turned to her sister-in-law. "I'm gonna go tell Roy that Richard isn't coming. Oh! That's right; I picked up your newspaper." Sakura dropped the bundled paper on the table then turned to exit the house. Raven unbounded the paper and sat in her seat where Lian could see her, incase the baby should wake up and want a familiar face. On the front page of the Gotham Herald was an intense snapshot of two warrior queens in mid-battle. Since the Titans had disbanded a few years ago, when Cyborg became a father and when Hotspot finally proposed to Bumble Bee, vigilante justice had been at a record low. Only a year ago did some of that righteousness that Raven herself had once fought with returned in the form of two women fighters who governed Gotham, Bludhaven and Steel City on occasion. The picture was in black and white, so Raven didn't know much about them: one was called Sango and the other was Osiris. No one knew where they were from or anything really about them. Raven read the article then went to the next one.

By the time Sakura came back in the house, Raven was on page three and the front page was spread open facing Hiiro and Sakura. Hiiro looked at the image as he munched on his last piece of bacon, he appeared to be a bit more fascinated than Raven had been, but neither of them were as captivated as Sakura was.

The image was a vivid one. Though it was black and white, she could see color, distinct colors: brown and gold, purple, and black, thrown across their eyes and their hair. She could see distinct features, a distinct mouth and chin on Sango, the shape of Osiris' eyes and face. Though some features were different, the coloring a little darker than she remembered, she still remembered…

By the disinterested look on Raven's face, she didn't.

Lian began to fuss and Raven dropped her newspaper. She folded it simply, the front page facing upwards as she looked into the car seat to see the tanned skin child squirm in her place. Sakura walked around and lifted her adopted daughter, quieting her immediately with the least bit of her attention. Raven stood up and moved to start cleaning up the kitchen, smiling at Sakura, who returned the smile with a little less enthusiasm.

"Raven, did you read the article about Sango and Osiris?"

"Yes. It's the first time those two have ever been captured on film. It's a bit blurry, but I suppose its proof enough that they're actual people and not just phantoms." Raven replied.

"Don't they look… a little familiar?" Sakura asked.

"Familiar? No, why do you ask?" Raven asked.

Sakura shook her head, brushing off the question. She continued to look at the newspaper article until Lian fussed again and Sakura gave her a bottle. It started to rain, keeping Hiiro in the house. He sat on the floor and played with his blocks, continuing his beginnings of what he claimed would be 'the greatest leggo pyramid in the whole wide world.' Richard came out of the bedroom long enough to eat and grab the newspaper before laying down on the couch to watch Hiiro continue to build as he practiced his counting. He kept getting messed up when transitioning from one tens group to another. More than once Richard had to correct Hiiro's number game, reminding him that twenty-nine and one was actually thirty. When Hiiro took his afternoon nap, he had made it to two hundred and nineteen. Richard made a mental note of the number, knowing very well that his baby boy would want to start exactly where he left off.

Being a father was the most satisfying event in Richard's life. He watched Hiiro sleep on his chest, despite the protest he'd originally put up, but apparently Hiiro had the immune system of Raven and like Raven, could not be refused. Hiiro's slumbering face was turned under Richard's chin, his short black hair soft under Richard's fingers. Raven checked Richard's forehead when he too fell asleep in the afternoon and took the newspaper from his relaxed digits. Sakura noticed that Richard failed to see any parallel between Sango, Osiris and the two daughters missing from their family.

…

There was a rule in the Grayson house that Hiiro had sworn to obey: that when Mommy and Daddy's door was closed, Hiiro absolutely had to knock. It was no stretch of the truth that Hiiro was a smart boy, but there were some lessons that neither Richard nor Raven were ready for their kindergartener to learn.

As it was, that night Richard had closed the door behind Raven, not to be physically intimate, but mentally. He watched his wife sit on the edge of their marital bed and brush out her long locks. Everything she did was like poetry. She always had a fluidity about her, even in the most simple of tasks. It was one of the things he loved about her. He also loved the smooth expanse of her shoulder, the tiny dusting of freckles she thought no one noticed, and that cute pout she would get when he beat her in chess. There were a million more things he loved about her, but her freckles, her smile and her movement were the things that inspired him.

Hiiro was proof enough that Raven was the muse of Richard's existence. Only an artist could make something as beautiful as that little miracle. Richard's eyes watched Raven, her brush strokes long and soft, her eyes closed and a sweet little hum barely audible from her lips. Richard had never doubted for a minute that underneath it all she was beautiful. It almost blinded him sometimes, just to lay beside her and her moon pale skin, her exotic eyes, that hair, that body, she was two kinds of perfection to him and no matter how many times he told her he loved her, he knew he'd never be able to speak the volumes of just what Raven Grayson meant to him.

When he was younger, and a struggling Boy Wonder, he'd have nightmares and turn to her. She'd calm him down, relax his heart and ease his worry. Now that she was his, he didn't have nightmares at all. Not really.

Richard moved to sit beside his wife as she finished braiding her hair. He pushed the thick tress from her right shoulder and kissed the skin there before kissing the side of her head. "I love you." He said simply.

"I know." She replied in that cool way that was reason six hundred and thirty eight in the million plus reasons why he loved her.

"You remember," Richard asked as he rubbed her shoulders gently, "when Hiiro just learned to walk, he was so proud of himself that he didn't look where he was going…"

"And tripped over the garden hose and took a header into the herb garden. He still won't go near it."

"Hiiro's first words." Richard continued.

"Tuborkle. I still can't believe they mass produce those for children."

"How about the first time he ever ran a fever?"

"August fifth, when he was exactly six months old. You nearly gave the nurses a heart attack because you jumped out of your seat and accosted anyone in smocks that walked by."

"Here I was thinking it was my devilish good looks." Richard replied, winding his arms around her slender middle. She was twenty nine years old with a perfect hour glass figure.

"What are you getting at, Richard? You're not the reminiscent type." Raven said, bringing her hand up to rub the side of his handsome face.

"Rae, what do you think of the idea of us having another child? We both agree that the best thing we've done in our lives is being parents… Hiiro's crazy about Lian, so you know he'd love a little sister and I think it would be nice to have a little girl… my eyes, your nose and smile."

"She sounds wonderful, but…"

"Rae."

"What if it's a boy? You know how hyper competitive Hiiro is. Heaven forbid he thinks he has to compete with another male for my affection." Raven replied.

"If I didn't know you as well as I do, I'd sense absolutely no apprehension in your tone."

"You know why."

"I know why. I know. Rae, do you remember what you said to me when we confirmed that Hiiro was going to be a Hiiro and not a Heroine?"

"We were never going to name h--"

"You said," Richard replied, silencing her with his interruption. "I hope boys are as easy as girls are, because little girls are absolute miracles."

Raven blinked twice then turned to press her forehead into Richard's jaw. He rubbed her back gently, his slim fingers tracing over her tiny freckles. He felt her sigh and kept speaking. "I think we're entitled to another miracle or two. Neither of us… really got the chance to… and I don't want you to think that I'm trying to replace them, because I'm not…"

"I know what you mean… and I suppose there's really no reason to be afraid. Can we talk about this more later?"

Richard nodded and kissed her goodnight, taking his place beside her in bed. He fell asleep in fifteen minutes. Raven didn't sleep at all.

…

It was about eleven forty at night and it was time for Lian's late night bottle. She was on a six hour feeding cycle. If Sakura fed her at midnight, Roy would feed her at six when he got up to prepare for work.

The Harpers lived on the east side of Gotham, a good thirty minute across town drive to Wayne Enterprises and a good fifteen minute drive to the Grayson house in the same direction. Every morning Roy would get up, feed his daughter, eat breakfast, kiss Sakura goodbye and take the fifteen minute drive to pick up his brother-in-law before completing the commute to his office. It was a routine they had fallen into easily. The adoption process had been an easy one; though they couldn't find a Japanese child or one with Roy's devastating red hair, a woman gave birth to a little girl and gave her a name before she gave her up. That little girl was Lian Harper and she fit in well within their arms.

Sakura pulled her bedrobe tight as she moved to the kitchen to prepare a bottle. She heated up a cup of water in the microwave, her bare feet tapping an invisible hymn into the wooden floor as she removed the formula from the refrigerator. The container slipped from her fingers when a loud crash erupted from down the hall.

Roy leapt out of bed and met her in the hallway. His green eyes had become wide awake when he heard the crash. "What was that?"

"I don't know! It sounded like glass, but from where?"

"It wasn't in our room… Lian!"

The former fighters took into a run, dashing down the hall to the baby's nursery. Broken glass was scattered on the floor care of a fragmented window. The frightened parents ran into the room and checked the crib to confirm their worst fear: their baby was missing. Sakura screamed in terror as Roy tore through the crib, lifting the mattress, tossing the blanket, searching for some sign of their baby girl. What he found was a sheet of paper with nothing on it.

"Sakura, call the police!" Sakura nodded and ran to the phone. Before she picked it up, the phone rang. Sakura grabbed it and answered it hastily.

"Mrs. Harper I presume? I'm guessing you were planning to call the police right now about the kidnapping of your precious baby girl."

The voice on the end of the line was grossly disinterested in the conversation, though the words he spoke were dark enough to turn Sakura's blood to ice.

"Put Roy on the phone." The voice commanded.

"Listen, you son of a---"

"No need for such unpleasantries, Mrs. Harper. I haven't done anything to your baby… yet. However, I will if you don't do exactly as I say."

"If its money you want you can have it! Just don't hurt my baby!"

"Mrs. Harper, you're not **listening**. And when people don't listen to me, I get upset and **that's** when people get hurt. Give Roy the phone."

Sakura turned hard and heard her husband approach and immediately gave him the phone. She stayed at his side, worrying her nails in her teeth as Roy took over the call.

"Who is this?" Roy asked, his tone betraying his worry. He was sweating, Sakura could see that he was as terrified as she was and she was nearly beside herself with worry.

"Oh Roy, don't tell me you've forgotten my voice. It hurts my heart."

His voice was a slithering cord through his mind, unwinding the complications of his life back to a time when all his life was complication: finding food, finding shelter, staying out of sight, staying alive.

"So you go and get married and forget where you came from, is that it Roy? You marry a millionaire's daughter and didn't think for a second to look back at where you came from. I suppose now that you're a big shot, you don't remember what its like to be hungry all the time, broke all the time, do you Roy?"

"Just tell me what you want so I can have my daughter back." Roy gritted from between his teeth.

"It's the same thing I've always wanted Roy. Unlike you, **I** didn't change. I want to play, Roy… and I can either play with you or with your little bundle of joy. Come to the Cook Piers at four AM with one million dollars in unmarked bills. Bring the Mrs. But leave the suits behind. If I so much as smell bacon on the horizon… well I won't go into details, but I've always wanted to try… cutting up a baby."

The line went dead. Roy's jaw tightened and shook before he let out a horrible yell and threw the phone across the room. He turned his body sharply before he pounded his fist against the closest wall three times. Sakura grabbed his arm before he could strike a fourth time and forced Roy to look at her. "Roy! What did he say! What does he want?"

"Me."

"What?"

"Roark Harold wants me and one million dollars."

…

Sakura had to drive because Roy was so angry he couldn't see straight. His fingers gripped the leather case that contained the money, but he knew that the money was just a formality: Roark Harold wasn't the kind of shut call who ruled because he had money, he ruled because he was the most dangerous criminal ever to walk Cook County.

Roy's hair was disheveled as a result of his alternating between tugging his hair in frustration and running his hands through it to get it out of his face. Roy cursed himself a million times for being so stupid to think that if he forgot about it, that everyone else would. They were heading toward a dark alley in his history, a length of turns he wanted to have absolutely no part of: it wasn't prideful and sorrowful like Sakura's past: it was brutal and monstrous and it still made him shudder to think about that life he once lead.

Roark Harold was a murderer. Though he preferred to prey on the confident, he wasn't against traumatizing the weak, especially children. He picked a target and sunk his claws in and gave a harsh sting to life.

He had once found Roy Harper and decided to play.

As a result of Roark Harold's constant and cruel gaze, Roy Harper spent a lot of time on the run. He had gashes on his thighs from when he wasn't fast enough, scratches on his feet when he had made wrong turns into alleys and exactly six permanent scars in the inside slope of his shoulders that were distinctly in the shape of struck-burned matches.

_Six scars like talon marks, where Roark bit into me and cut me deep… even with the claws retracted, the venom still runs through me and those talons beg for another taste. _

Sakura found the pier and they arrived just before four A.M carrying a million dollars. Roark Harold was waiting, holding Lian possessively while two henchmen stood off to the side, both with devious stares in their eyes.

"Roy, long time no speak. I hope it wasn't hard to find me. You were certainly hard to find, but my efforts were worth it, don't you think?"

"Shut up. Give me my daughter and take your damn money and leave me alone!"

"But Roy, I can't do that. You and I have years and years and years of catching up to do. When I'm **done** with you, then you can go back to your stepford wife… though Mrs. Harper appears to be a pretty lady, maybe I will keep her too and we can all be one happy family."

Roark Harold seemed to forget that Sakura and Roy used to be Teen Titans. In a flash Sakura and Roy moved. Roy threw the briefcase to his right, striking one of Roark's body guards in the kneecap, busting the joint. The other guard found unconsciousness at the fist of Sakura. His prone body soared through the air with no resistance as he was thrown into the knee-busted counterpoint across the room. Both Roy and Sakura turned back to Roark with their fists drawn.

Roark sighed heavily before tsking. "Roy, Roy, Roy. When will you learn? You can't beat me." From the shadows emerged dozens of Roark's men, some wielding thick link chains, baseball bats or lead pipes. "If you wanna be a problem, I've obviously got the solution." Roark added as he watched Roy press his back against Sakura's. Mrs. Harper shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, her hands balled in her Xing Yi fighting style. Roark smirked. "Remember Roy, I want you. I'm not against crushing your girl… both of them."

Roy opened his mouth to curse him, when a shuddering energy wrapped around Roark. The shut call widened his eyes in surprise as the energy coiled around him and wrapped around the baby in his arm. The energy pulled her away smoothly and delivered her in a black sphere of power to her mother. All the occupants of the pier house stuttered in surprise, Sakura dropped to her knees clutching her baby to her chest. Roy used his trained eyes to find the source of that rescue and found two sets of furiously powerful eyes emerging from the shadows.

A short black boot was the first vision to emerge from the shadows. That boot turned swiftly in the darkness and connected with Roark Harold's ear, knocking him to the floor. He grabbed the abused appendage and turned his head as the legs and body that belonged to that black boot emerged shadows. Her brown dress wrapped tightly around her figure, leaving one arm and the opposite leg exposed. Her black hair fell down over her shoulder and across her right eye. Her eyes were a brown he was unfamiliar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if she was on the verge of tears. Those eyes remained hard as her companion emerged from the shadows.

It had been her powers; it was obvious that while Sango wielded a great fighting ability, Osiris had great potential for magic. Osiris' purple hair was pulled high away from her face; her bangs laid clear of her amethyst eyes. Her white uniform was tied with red ribbon to hold the bits of cloth to her stomach, chest and shoulders.

"You are a bad man, that you are." Osiris said definitively as she stared down at a cowering Roark Harold.

Sango stepped forward, the wind pitching as she moved. "And you are going to pay for your crimes."

The two women fighters moved faster than shadow to take care of Roark Harold and the legion of his gang. Before Roy could put words to his surprise, the entirety of Roark's band was disabled and Roark Harold was hanging upside down from a ceiling hook, bound and gagged and clearly incapacitated. Sango wiped her hands against each other as she admired her handiwork. Osiris turned to her and smiled, knowing they had done a good job.

Sakura was stupefied by what she had seen. There they were, standing in front of her. She was seeing them with her own eyes. She felt like crying, she felt like fainting, she felt like she was going to fall apart. Lian began to cry in her arms.

"Please call the authorities to take in these men. I am sure there is sufficient evidence for an arrest and sentencing." Sango said to Roy. Roy nodded and barely forced out a thank you before the girls turned their backs to walk away.

"WAIT!" Sakura called.

Sango and Osiris turned their pretty heads to watch Sakura pass Lian to Roy before running to their side. She stared at them, stared at them hard as if trying to find something that told her the truth about what she knew. Their faces were blank or a bit perplexed. There was absolutely no recognition in their eyes. Before she would have been afraid, before she wouldn't dare risk a word for all her sacrifice. But Sango and Osiris were before her and they had saved her child's life. That simply changed everything.

"When was the last time you saw Jericho?" She asked simply.

Osiris and Sango were unable to hide their surprise. Osiris spoke first, her lovely voice calm despite the anxiety in her eyes. "It has been a year, that it has."

Sakura swallowed hard. Sango furrowed her pretty brow. "How did you know he was our master?" She asked.

"He was once my master too. Please tell me, what has become of him?"

"We… do not know. Last year he disappeared leaving us no instructions." Sango replied.

"Except…" Osiris admitted.

"Except what?" Sakura asked.

"He left a simple message that stated: rescue her. However, there were many hers and we have no idea where to look or really for whom."

"I do." Sakura replied. She noticed immediately that she had both Osiris's and Sango's attention. "I'm her… I know it… But he didn't send you to rescue me… he wanted you to find me."

"Why did our master send us to find his former student? Did he have a lesson that you are suited to teach us?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, a tear sliding out of her eye. "A history lesson."

…

Roy, Sakura and Lian returned home. Roy fed Lian and laid her down her crib as Sakura checked the work of the repair man that Alfred had sent immediately. They would install a security system in the morning, but for the moment, they were utterly exhausted. Roy fell into bed and Sakura dropped down beside him.

Roy took a deep sigh and explained to her what had happened that night and why Roark Harold was after him and all the truths that he had kept from her. She accepted his apology, but didn't blame him for anything.

"Sakura?"

"Un?"

"What did you talk to Sango and Osiris about?" Roy asked.

Sakura seemed to think for a moment, turning onto her stomach, her head rotated to look Roy in his green eyes. "I guess I can tell you now since I know they're safe… Akane and Choris aren't dead…"

"What? How do you know?"

"Because I sacrificed my Holy to save their lives seven years ago."

"Sakura… but that was…"

"That's the reason I can't… have children… I gave up my ability to be a parent so they could live."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't. If the energy surrounding them were to change, they wouldn't be brought back and I still wouldn't be able to be a mother…" Sakura replied.

"All this time, you've had to keep this secret. My brave girl… this must have been so hard on you."

"It was worth it… I think they're safe now Roy."

Sakura laid beside her husband and told her the last of her truths.

"What does that mean for you?" Roy asked.

"Nani?"

"Can you still not… have any children? Your sacrifice was to give them life… they have it now… for as long as a year… we haven't tried for a year… maybe…"

That night the air in the universe changed.

Everything changed.

…

At six thirty three on that day, that fated day, Richard Grayson came home from work to find his wife and a nude Hiiro Grayson involved in a game of tag that Hiiro appeared to be winning. Raven ran behind Hiiro, determined to towel dry the five year old, who apparently was having none of it. Hiiro ran past Richard stopping long enough to smile, hug his knees and greet him before ducking under the table and evading his mother's grab.

Richard grabbed Raven as she attempted to chase Hiiro for a bit longer. He laughed as she huffed and blew a strand of purple hair from her face. "Rae, he's awfully nude."

"You should have seen him in front of the mirror. He's a little exhibitionist."

"He doesn't get that from me." Richard said quickly, keeping his wife pinned to him with his hands on her hips.

"He gets everything from you: his mischief, his stamina and his ability to wiggle. I caught him once but he went completely slack and slipped out of my grip."

"He may have my mischief and my… ability to wiggle, but if I recall, you were the exhibitionist between us." Richard replied.

"Me?"

"I remember rather vividly, images of you in a skin tight leotard." Richard replied. His hands found her braid and unwound it, shaking it free as he kissed her face. Raven pushed a purple lock of her long tress behind her ear.

"I'm thinking about cutting it."

"No, I like it… it… inspires me."

He kissed her passionately. Raven's toes curled, her fingers clenching the expensive cloth of his business suit. Somehow she found the strength to pull away from her husband. "I need to catch Hiiro."

Richard didn't release his grip on her body. "Let him run… he'll exhaust himself."

Raven shook her head in the negative. "Not Hiiro."

"Then let him play…" Richard gave her a peck on the mouth and another. "We can make another one."

Raven blushed and Richard's kiss showed her how serious he was about a new addition. Raven really didn't know where she had the strength to resist him. "Here we are plotting our way to the bedroom and our son is running around in the nude."

Behind their backs the doorbell rang. A microsecond later they heard Hiiro's voice.

"I'll get it!"

Richard and Raven turned their heads towards the door. "No!"

The door opened and a lovely young voice flowed into their home. "Hey, little man. You're awfully nude."

Hiiro laughed then turned his head back towards the hall way. "Ka-san, Otou-sama! Ane-chans!"

Richard frowned before taking the towel from Raven's hands and running to the door. He dropped to his knee beside his son and lifted the towel over him. "Sorry about that, he just had a bath." Richard looked up then, satisfied that Hiiro was covered. He was about to usher Hiiro back towards his mother when he saw Sango's eyes.

Her eyes were a brown he was familiar with, the deep color was swirled and impacted with a subtle gold highlight, just along the corners when the light shined just so… or if she was on the verge of tears.

They were his eyes. There was only one person in the world with his eyes.

"Choris?" He whispered gently.

Her face became unreadable, a million emotions flying over her face one after another after another. "Father?"

Richard stood to his full height, forgetting that he had been holding Hiiro's towel up. Hiiro grabbed the falling cloth, barely able to secure it himself. Osiris dropped to her knees and helped the young boy with a smile on her face. Above their heads Richard and Choris stared into each other, laying eyes on each other for the first time ever in truth. Raven came into the corridor after hearing no sound from Hiiro or Richard. She found Richard standing in the door way and Hiiro beside him, but unable to see what Richard saw. She moved forward to scoot Hiiro back into the house when she saw the teenage girl kneeling in front of Raven's son… in front of her brother.

"Mother." Akane's voice was a sweet as Raven remembered. It was so lovely it absolutely took her breath away. Her heart skipped beats at a time as she stared into the face she knew and loved and missed terribly every night for seven years.

"Akane."

Hiiro was the only one who remembered he was naked. He held his towel firmly looking up as his ane-chans stood mesmerized by the parents that they shared. He stumbled back into the house and sometime later his family followed him.

…

For six hours the family Grayson sat in the dining room piecing their universe together. Hiiro fell asleep in the crook of Raven's arms and Richard noticed the sleepy haze his daughters were trying to fight off. Akane and Choris watched Raven lay Hiiro down to sleep before Raven and Richard guided them to the guest room where the girls shared a full sized bed.

Raven and Richard watched them sleep for a few minutes, afraid that if they left their sight for a moment it would all become a dream.

Dreams couldn't be so beautiful or cruel as that.

Raven and Richard went to bed breathless and woke up to the sound of Hiiro's feet drumming down the hall. He broke the rule he swore he'd always obey and burst into his parents' bedroom. That was enough to rouse Raven from her sleep, it took Hiiro landing on his middle to wake Richard.

"Papa-san. Mommy-Chan. Up! Up! You said we're going to the park today! Up. Up! I want to go! Mommy-Chan! Papa-san! Akane-Chan and Choris-Chan want to get new dresses. Come! Come!"

Both Raven and Richard blinked at his young words, piecing together his excited five year old speak in the same way, picking up the same words: Akane and Choris. Richard and Raven climbed out of bed, Hiiro secured on Richard's hip as they moved to the guest room.

What they found wasn't a guest room. It was a bedroom of two slumbering seven year old girls.

Raven stood stupefied as her eyes roamed over the bedroom that the slumbering angels were sharing. Twin beds were pushed against opposite walls of the yellow painted bedroom. White sheets and comforters were piled on top of black tressed Choris and pale blue ones defended a purple tressed Akane from the cold. The room was scattered with toys, dressers and two school desks, lined up outside the window that streamed sunlight onto the Grayson daughters. Raven fell easily back against the wall behind her, her hand covering her mouth as she trembled.

Richard's eyes took in every inch of everything he couldn't explain. When Akane and Choris had gone to bed last night, they were teenagers, aged the way they remembered them, the way they had seen them last. Now, they were beautiful little girls that fit in with their home, with their family, where they belonged.

Hiiro squirmed out of Richard's arms and jumped onto Choris' bed. "Chor-is! Wake up!" Hiiro demanded.

Choris pushed her baby brother away from her face with her small pale hands. "Hiir-o! I'm awake!" She responded, climbing from under her blankets. Her yellow nightgown had green flowers plastered over it, standing against her drape of black hair that fell down her back.

Richard was mesmerized by her angelic voice and would become equally, pleasantly surprised when Akane rose to the world, chirping out a good morning to her siblings. Her hair was pulled up, unlike Choris', the purple locks held tight in playful ponytails. Hiiro leapt from one of his sister's beds to the other and back again while Richard simply stared.

Raven had to sit down.

She walked into the room and sat shakily at the foot of Choris' bed. Akane frown and jumped to the bed of her sister and patted her mother's head gently. Choris crawled forward and sat in Raven's lap, wrapping her arms around Raven's neck gently. "Mommy, when you make that face, you make me want to cry."

Raven's body shook involuntarily before she forced herself to calm down. She returned the hug with all her soul, pressing her daughter into her chest. "Don't cry my beautiful girl. I don't want you to ever cry."

"I'm your brave girl." Choris said.

"You are, my love. You are."

"Me too! Me too! I'm your good girl!" Akane added.

"Yes. Yes, you are." Raven responded, stroking Akane's face with her free hand.

Richard stepped closer to where his beautiful family was gathered. He patted Hiiro's head tenderly. "All three of you are little miracles."

Akane turned her huge purple eyes to her father. "Otou! Can we have pancakes?"

"Of course."

Akane jumped into his arms. Hiiro took into a run to the kitchen. Richard watched his son run swiftly out the door before turning back to see Raven staring into Choris' face, touching her skin.

"Choris, sweetheart, you and Akane go with your brother into the kitchen and wait for mommy and daddy." Richard commanded as he set Akane on the floor. The beautiful seven year old girls left as told and followed their baby brother.

"You looked into her mind." Richard said.

Raven nodded slowly.

"What did you see?"

"Us… you, me, Hiiro and Akane. That's it… everything she knows is so beautiful."

Raven stood up. She pressed her face into his shoulder pitifully as she cried. Richard wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife, stroking her head lovingly until Raven pulled back and kissed him hard on the mouth. "I don't care how you did it. I don't."

Richard furrowed his brow, his fingers finding the loose hairs and pushing them behind her ears. "How was it me?" He asked.

Raven shook her head furiously before burying her tear soaked face back into his shoulder to finish her sob. "It's you. It's always you."

Behind Richard's shoulder, Raven could distinctly see Akane's dream catcher glimmering in the window.

…

Life became a dream then. As a year passed, moments became memories instantly: Choris' scrapped knee, Hiiro turned six, Akane's goldfish Pongo, their last days of summer before school started again.

Richard loaded the car as his daughters and son climbed into the backseat. Raven handed him the last of their gear. She fastened herself in after making sure her children were secured. Richard got in the car last, gave his family a perfect smile before turning back to the road.

Their ride was too short to put the children to sleep. The ride to Steel City never took very long. There wasn't a trace of traffic and not a single cloud in the sky. It was a perfect day for a reunion.

"I can't believe how long it's been since we were all together." Richard said as he unbuckled Choris' seat belt and helped his daughter out. She stood beside the car with her siblings, holding her straw hat on her dark crowned head as the wind picked up.

"I know, but this is good. I'm glad its close." Raven pulled the picnic blanket from the back and entrusted Hiiro to carry it as she followed behind Akane and Choris deeper into the park.

"It had to be close. From the way Victor was talking, Jinx is so big with numbers three and four that she can barely walk. They only live two towns over but we never make our way to see them… we should change that." Richard said.

Victor and Jinx Stone greeted the Graysons as they entered their picnic grounds. Victor waved a massive arm, signaling them closer. The residents of Steel City greeted Richard and his family with enthusiasm. For the most part, Jinx was so pregnant she could barely stand, let alone be accommodating.

"Jinx, how much longer are you in for?" Richard asked.

"Two weeks and I swear this is it. No more kids." Jinx said pointing a dangerous eye to Victor.

"You love the boys." Victor responded.

"I do, but I don't love being pregnant." Jinx replied.

Raven laughed and found the Stone boys were hiding behind their father waiting to be discovered. "Which one is which?" Raven asked, pointing to the boys.

"I'm Gage!" The slightly taller boy shouted. His eyes were blue and decidedly Victor's. His shape was his father's as well. Nothing other than that glimmer of intelligence belonged to Jinx's influence.

"I'm Chronos!" Gage's twin brother shouted to match his brother. The boys shared a glare at each other before throwing themselves at one another and roughhousing in the grass.

Richard laughed at the display. Akane and Choris curtseyed before Mr. and Mrs. Stone while Hiiro bowed.

"I'm Akane Gwendolyn Grayson."

"I'm Choris Rebecca Grayson."

"I'm Hiiro Jonathan Grayson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. All of you."

The next arrivals would be the Tameranians. Komand'r came out of the ship first, holding the hand of a toddling baby boy. His hair was dark as midnight, his eyes so blue they were like diamonds. He had a handsome face and was smiling behind his pacifier. He waved immediately when he was in range of smiling faces. Orin came out, carrying a girl who looked to be about seven years old. Like the little boy holding Blackfire's hand, her hair was long and black. Her eyes were easily identified as Orin's.

"Orin, Blackfire! I'm so glad you could make it."

"It has been too long." Komand'r replied.

"Besides, we never pass up an opportunity to show off. This is Marina." Orin said, patting the back of the girl at his side.

"This is Adrial." Blackfire said and the blue eyed boy waved again.

Starfire and D'ucel weren't far behind them. Starfire wore the helm of Tameran's Grand Ruler. D'ucel was outfitted in a garb that was equivalent of a prince's uniform as he was married to the Grand Ruler herself. Their daughter was wrapped up tightly in Tameranian garb. Her eyes were green and her hair was red, but she wore white and blue proudly even for a blaxrig old infant. Her name translated to Heartfire.

When Roy and Sakura arrived, Lian was holding Roy's hand as she toddled forward. She nearly slipped once or twice but Roy was beside her to keep her balance. Sakura walked behind them, holding a newborn son close to her body. Lian and Joshua were introduced to everyone who didn't know them.

The sun was high, the sky was clear and the water beside the picnic area was just begging for them to swim. They decided to wait a bit longer.

The air stayed warm as an hour passed. Roy and Orin caught up as they held their toddling children in their laps. Chronos and Gage displayed their muscles for Starfire's affections and Hiiro occupied his time trying to find the perfect blade of grass.

Raven turned her back when she felt a shadow approaching her. Or maybe because Sakura and Blackfire were smiling at something behind her shoulder. Either way, she turned to look behind her and gained a smile on her face when she saw what they saw.

She didn't look a single day older though more than eight years had passed since the day she left the Titans. Her dark red hair fluttered down her back and over her shoulder, the longer strands tucked behind her ear or behind a shell clip. Her long skirt billowed in the breeze. She used her left hand to smooth the fabric out, her right hand was holding the nervous fingers of a beautiful little girl.

"Celine!"

A roar of excitement filled the air as one of the missing players returned. Raven hugged the still much taller girl. She smiled fully, her purple eyes shifting from Celine's face to the gentle features of the child at her side. Her long hair was in two pigtails tied off behind her ears with dark green ribbon. Her hair was black as midnight and her eyes were so green and dark they were almost black against her smooth brown skin. Raven smiled at the girl and she smiled shyly before moving to hide behind her mother's skirt.

"She's shy?" Victor noticed.

"Not when she gets to know you. She's always a bit intimidated by new people." Celine replied.

Victor ducked down so he was at the same height as Celine's daughter. He offered her a hand. She looked at it then looked at his face then up at her mother.

"Hi, I'm Victor. What's your name?"

"Kiddian." The girl replied.

"That's a pretty name, Kiddian. Did your mommy give you that name?" Victor asked.

Kiddian shook her head. "My daddy did."

"Do you know what a Kiddian is?"

"It's a wild flower. It blooms once every eight years in the deserts."

"That's right. You sure are smart."

"My grammy knows a lot about flowers."

"Kiddian, how old are you?" Victor asked.

The little girl didn't answer. Celine smiled and rubbed her daughter's head. "Its okay, Kiddian, you can answer him."

"I'm six." Kiddian replied.

"Six, that's about the age of my boys. Would you like to meet them?"

Kiddian looked nervous for a moment before turning to her mother. "Mommy, will you come with me?"

Celine nodded and walked with her daughter to become reacquainted with the Stone brood.

"It's good to see you again, Celine."

"You too, Vic. How's married life treating you?"

"It's the best thing that ever happened to me." Victor replied.

"Good, you deserve it."

Chronos and Gage Stone were more than happy to meet Kiddian, but became more interested when they stared up into the flawless face of Kiddian's mother. The boys dog piled each other, fighting over the collective attention of Kiddian and Celine. Victor sweat dropped and thought to break them up, but thought better of it when he remember that at least one of them was a biter.

Celine watched the Stone boys fight before she became more fascinated with a black haired boy who ran and somersaulted over the fighters to land directly in front of Kiddian.

"Hi!" He said.

"Hello." Kiddian replied.

"I'm Hiiro! What's your name?"

"I'm Kiddian."

"Kiddian-chan. You're pretty. You want to play with me?"

Kiddian nodded and let Hiiro take her hand and lead her to play away from the warring Stone boys. Raven and Richard watched Hiiro lead Kiddian to his play blanket. Choris and Akane were showing Marina how to jump rope. Joshua was asleep in Sakura's lap and she spoke to Jinx about the pains of maternity.

"Sorry I'm late… I just flew in and, boy, are my arms tired."

Richard and Raven turned slowly, unsure they had heard what they did. His voice. It had been so long.

"Beast King?" Richard asked.

"I'm going a little more low-key these days. Call me Garfield." Garfield replied, his smile a winner as always.

"Garfield! We weren't sure if you got the invitation! I'm so happy to see you!" Raven stated.

"Yeah, same here."

Raven hugged him tightly. He pulled back gently and looked over her as she took his hands in hers. His hair is short again and his suit is a little rumpled but he's devilishly handsome. She touched his fingers with the pad of his thumb and realized he was wearing a wedding band.

"You're married?" She asked.

"Yep… just under eight years now."

"Garfield! When can we meet your wife?"

"Oh. She's standing right over there."

Raven and Richard turned to look over their shoulders to see Celine looking back at them, blowing Garfield a kiss.

"Garfield! You married Celine?" Richard asked.

"And had a beautiful daughter with her… we've been together for a long time. We married in Tomango a year before Kiddian was born."

"And you didn't invite us to the wedding?"

"It was just us, my parents… Celine's father… and the village priest. My love for her screams out loud, but that moment demanded just us in quiet. She never looked more beautiful."

"Raven was the same way." Richard replied.

Richard smiled, Raven smiled, Garfield smiled as well.

"So where's your brood?" Garfield asked.

"Choris and Akane are playing with Marina and I do believe Hiiro is trying to flirt with your daughter."

Garfield's green eyes shot open wide as his eyes scanned frantically and found his daughter with Hiiro Grayson's arms wrapped around her. Raven had never seen a grown man jump so high.

"! Kiddo!"

Hiiro Grayson watched intently as Kiddian Logan balled her hands together. "I have a special power." She said. "You want to see?"

Hiiro nodded enthusiastically. She opened her hands to reveal a tiny crystal made from her mind. "I can make tiny crystals, just by thinking about them."

"Wow. Your power goes with mine."

"You have a power, Hiiro?"

Hiiro nodded. "My mommy has powers and so do my sisters. Nobody knows that I can do something. Will you keep it a secret?"

Kiddian nodded quickly and pinkie swore with him solemnly. Her green eyes held that special kind of confusion that only six year olds could feel when Hiiro wrapped his arms around her. His hands found hers as he mumbled three secret words that meant nothing to her. Her green eyes widened as a white energy poured from beneath his hands and up between her fingers, catching itself in the tiny crystal in her hand. The light made a rainbow through her prism and Kiddian stared at it in all before Hiiro became tired and stopped using his magic.

"That was really pretty. What was it?"

"I don't know. I was born with it. It's not like my mommy's or my sisters', so I think I get it from my Daddy."

It was then that a frantic Garfield Logan put some distance between his six year old daughter and the six year old Hiiro Grayson. Richard laughed from his space beside Raven. He could see that she was a bit tired so he moved them both to rest beneath an oak tree.

The wind was perfect. It fluttered over his nose gently, tickling the skin of his face as the warm gust danced through the leaves of the trees. Richard scrunched his nose a bit to fight off a sneeze; his eyes remained closed, but when he felt fingers tapping his nose gently, he knew exactly who it was.

It was the woman who held his heart, it was the woman who made him happier than he had believed possible; it was the woman whose lap his head rested in. Richard felt her fingers ghost over his nose, around his cheek, dusting over the shell of his left ear before deciding to play over the wide width of his forehead. Richard sighed contently as Raven's fingers became lost in his short hair.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful day. Raven sat with her back against a giant oak tree, her long purple tress was braided with the twisted lock of hair falling over her shoulder. Richard could feel her humming, the beat matched perfectly with the dance of her fingers on his body. The warmth of their bodies spread and wrapped around Richard. He swore there was nothing that could make him leave that spot.

Something round and cool bumped against the arch of his bare foot. Richard scrunched his face and Raven giggled gently, turning her head in the direction it had come from. He didn't have to open his eyes to know there was a smile on her face. Richard felt the patter of feet through the ground even though they were very far away when they stopped to yell his name.

"Get the ball, Daddy!" Her little voice carried over the wind. Her bare feet had stopped feet away when the wind picked up and threatened to take her straw woven hat. As it was her jet black hair and bright yellow dress were waving in the gentle breeze. Richard loved the sound of Choris' voice.

"Daddy, the ball!" The other seven year old girl shouted. Richard felt Raven's fingertips dance along his forehead. Akane's purple hair was pulled up in chignons and decorated with butterfly clips, keeping everything but her bangs from flapping with her voice in the wind. The purple eyed little girl stood side by side with her sister, jumping up and down excitedly, waiting for Richard to respond.

Richard kept his eyes closed and took in every inch of the sounds around him. Raven tapped his nose gently with her index finger. "You better do what they say," Raven said gently.

"Right. They out number me."

She giggled gently. Richard smiled and opened his eyes, looking up at his beautiful wife. He stood up, his jeans and oxford shirt rustled against the wind and his skin as he moved the distance to his daughters.

He squatted down between the two girls and presented the ball in one hand. Akane had to take it using both her smaller hands. "Thank you, Daddy!" Both girls chirped.

"Your welcome, little loves. Be careful with your new clothes okay?"

"I won't get my new dress dirty, Daddy. I promise." The dark-tressed Choris promised.

"That's my girls. Make sure to invite the other children to play."

"We asked Chronos and Gage, but they keep fighting each other rather than play with us."

"And Hiiro has Kiddian all to himself." Choris added.

"What about Marina? You were playing with her before."

"We'll go and invite her!"

Richard watched his little girls, their laughter the sweetest sounds he knew. His bare feet dragged along the grass. From his right he could see his dancing angels, his Akane and his Choris, and from his left he could see his resting angel, his Raven, with her eyes closed.

Richard returned to his spot, laying his head in Raven's lap. His hands sought the grass absently, his fingers finding the perfect blade on their own. He knew it when he found it, taking the grass and folding it over just so. Raven patted his forehead, her eyes looking out at the expanse of their family. Garfield and Celine looked every inch newlyweds even after eight years. It seemed that only Victor could make Jinx forget the ordeal that was her pregnancy. Starfire and D'ucel doted on their child and Orin and Blackfire watched their little ones play. Joshua and Lian were taking naps, resting their sleepy bodies against their parents. Hiiro held hands with Kiddian as the brothers Stone continued to wrestle, neither of them willing to submit. That blue ball danced in the air, leaving little hands for another set of little hands back and forth like a set, lovely rhythm.

Richard smiled and thought about the twists and turns his life had taken and smiled over the outcome. He had great friends, a wonderful life and the universe seemed content with all of their places in it, all their happy roles and everything was good.

He put the grass blade whistle to his lips and blew a gentle note through it.

The wind carried it long and low, lost in Richard's triumphant shout when he realized he was going to be a father again. The dark haired man turned his deep eyes to his lovely wife, the warmth of what they were making spread through him.

"Do you know what it will be?" Richard asked.

"He will be ours." Raven replied. "And our youngest."

Richard laughed deep in his throat and brought his whistle back to his lips. He blew it one more time. _Ha… four is a good number…_

The End.

Final Author's Notes:

Images of Sango and Osiris are posted.

Character Names:

Lethe and Astarte are both goddesses from Greek Mythology.

Sakura Chloe was based off of Sasuke Uichii from Naruto. My original idea of her was based loosely off of Sasuke's characterization. She also has a bit of Sango from Inuyasha in her: her weapon, the cute/complicated boyfriend and the relationship she has with her younger brother.

Kenosuke and Sakuja Matsuhiro, basically I took the name Sakuja from Tenchi Universe, though there is no further significance. Kenosuke was simply something that sounded cool. Matsuhiro was a name I tossed around manly for the way it sounded, that which lead to the naming of Hiiro Grayson.

Choris and Akane were just word play. Akane was named after the character with the same name in Rurouni Kenshin who lost her life trying to protect someone she only knew a day. Choris was playing around with Dischord, who's name I had thought up long before I thought of the character. If you'll remember, Raven choose the name Choris and Robin choose the name Akane so they named each other's children.

Terra Nostra was based on an artwork I saw of a woman holding a sphere that looked in the shape of a planet. I didn't want to play much into Terra's history, so I made one up for her.

Titans History:

I took a lot of liberties with all the Titans. I made Robin a totally different person, I muffed up Starfire's introduction to the team and played a bit with Beast Boy's past. I built over Raven's history, though I did make Azar a man – not that it had any significance in the plot. Originally Sabrah wasn't going to play the role she did, but I decided to make a new character rather than work with the restraints of an old one. Cyborg was pretty much the same, Celine played a duel role as Sara Simms and an OC and tying Jinx in there was playing off the fanon timeline of Wavelength. I totally over hauled Speedy, manly because I felt like it, same thing with Blackfire. Aqualad I really didn't touch on his past, keeping him the way I wanted to in the present. Terra was mostly based on her canon appearance, being insane and hating the Titans for no justifiable reason. I found canon Terra just more interesting than fanon Terra. Foxfire was my knock around guy, he was an OC with elements of Karras and Phy'zzon from the comic books. I built him as a transitional character who served no real purpose but was integral to the plot. I also wanted to make sure that Starfire had a pairing that was outside of the original Titans team.

Notes and tricks you might have missed:

From this chapter, Raven gets pregnant with a boy. Her first child with Richard was a boy as well, which means that if Raven were to have gotten pregnant with Robin during their almost sexual encounters, she would have been useless to Trigon and so would her kid. Richard being her husband/love was a way to defeat Trigon/Doomgaze's plans.

Choris and Akane reverted to their seven year old forms because Sakura broke her word to Jericho. She wasn't supposed to tell so when she did she unwove the energies around Akane and Choris leaving them as they should have been chronologically as seven year old girls.

That energy that Hiiro should Kiddian wasn't a form of Raven's magic. It was Holy… something about Hiiro made the dormant power become something he could control. I'm going to leave it to you to figure out what it is.

Baby Joshua was named after Jericho Wilson, who is not the Gabriel Jericho. I just decided to play with the names since Joshua "Jericho" Wilson wasn't making an appearance in the story.

Somewhere in "The End" pt 1, I included my real name. Bet you can't find it.

I alluded to Cheshire three times in this story: first was with Slade when he wanted to make Sakura into his general. Second when Sakura was training with Bushido under the True Master, a girl name Jade was with her. Jade is Cheshire's real name. Thirdly with Sakura and Roy's adopted daughter. Originally the actual Cheshire was going to appear in the story playing the role Batgirl did in "Delta", but I figured it would be more fun to put Batgirl and Kid Flash into the mix.

If you have any unanswered questions, feel free to ask them in a review.

Last, but not least: Thanks to all my wonderful readers/reviewers. I couldn't have written this story without you. This chapter is dedicated to all of you. This story was nine hundred and thirty pages. You all deserve a medal, I've had text books that weren't this big.

Thank you all.

Lankree.


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